Taiwo Abdulkabir Adesina, a guardian of the ailing Rafiu Kehinde Ambali, has completely refunded the N14.5 million he stole from Ambali’s surgery funds.

In 2019, Ambali was undergoing his national youth service in Sokoto State when he fell ill. His sickness culminated in a life-threatening fungi infection, and his friend-turned-guardian Adesina tried to abscond with funds meant for the surgery twice.

“He has been repaying in batches,” Faniyi Idris, another friend of Ambali, told FIJ on Friday. “He completed the repayment this morning.”

READ MORE: Taiwo Abdulkabir Helped His Dying Friend Raise N16m for Surgery. He ‘Stole’ N14.5m!

“Yes, it’s true,” Ambali told FIJ on his way to the mosque on Friday.

Ambali’s chronic diabetes and flesh-eating fungi infection left him bedridden in 2020. Adesina, serving as Ambali’s guardian at the time, knew about the crowdfunding efforts that raised N16 million for Ambali’s treatment.

Adesina first asked Ambali to lend him N7 million as proof of funds to secure his study visa to the Czech Republic.

He persuaded Ambali to lend him the money and, after declining at first, the patient agreed. Adesina promised to refund the money in two weeks, just after the interview at the embassy.

The interview was over but Adesina chose to invest the N7 million in cryptocurrency trading. He claimed that he didn’t know much about the trading and lost the money.

Adesina later siphoned N7.5 million from what was left in Ambali’s bank account while the latter was recuperating from eye surgery in Lagos.

READ ALSO: SPOTLIGHT: Ifeanyichukwu Onah, Nigerian Doctor Who Wanted to Make Children Smile, Has Performed 900 Cleft Surgeries Across Africa

“Since then, he has been repaying in batches. Sometimes, he would pay N40,000 or N1,000,000,” Idris explained.

“Ambali did not achieve his aim of travelling out of the country because the money was siphoned. He has been managing his illness here from one specialist to another.

“He was bedridden, but he could move around and make hospital appointments by himself. He’s just recuperating. Of course, he still needs better medical attention.”