Nwosu Chijioke Collinus, an officer of the Nigerian Navy, has not refunded the N200,000 he collected to facilitate a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) job for an Abia State resident who wishes to be identified as Adaku.

Adaku had been friends with Collinus’ wife since 2016. In September 2023, her friend said Collinus could help her get a job.

FIJ learnt that Collinus’ duty post was once at the Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance (NNCAF) in Owerrinta, Abia, before his redeployment to Onne Port in Rivers State.

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Following their discussion, Collinus collected a copy of Adaku’s curriculum vitae (CV) and her academic certificates in October. He promised he could get a bank job for her at either Guaranty Trust Bank or First City Monument Bank.

“He told me I would resume work by January of 2024. This kept me anxious and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, nothing positive came in January and by February he came up with the excuse that he was angry with a manager that was working on the job process,” Adaku told FIJ on February 15.

The job applicant felt bad about the feedback, but the naval officer renewed her hope, promising to secure a job at the FIRS for her, but it would have a financial implication. Collinus said he had an important contact at the tax agency who would collect some money to influence the job.

“He has a big man at the FIRS who wants to give him a slot and he will fix my name and he preferred the federal government job which has security than a bank job. I was happy and thanked my friend,” Adaku recalled.

“Then in March of 2024, he told me about the FIRS job and asked if I was aware that people do pay for the slot. I answered in the affirmative. He told me the slot would cost me N1,500,000.

“I told him I didn’t have that amount and he assured me that there would be no problem as the FIRS contact knew him very well. So, he asked me to pay any amount I have and when my appointment letter comes out, I would balance up. I did not suspect any foul play because I had confidence in him being a naval officer and he could not have been lying. By April 2024, I had sent a total of N400,000. It was paid in phases.”

According to transaction receipts obtained by FIJ, Adaku paid N200,000 on April 6 to Collinus’ FCMB account through her GTBank account. On April 9, she paid another N100,000 to the same account through her First Bank account and on April 23 and 24, she sent N50,000 each to Collinus’ account through her OPay wallet, all in 2024.

FIJ learnt that Collinus promised that the federal job would be ready by July. Adaku kept in touch with her calendar and she reached out to Collinus at the end of July to follow up on their conversation.

Between February and May, she was in Lagos State. In the last week of May, she returned to her base in Abia State and Collinus was aware of this, marking the beginning of a new dimension in the course of their job-hunting conversation.

Collinus started to ask Adaku for a sexual relationship, attempting to exploit the job he was helping her to facilitate.

“When I came back to Umuahia from Lagos, he started visiting me at home unannounced. Because I was jobless, you would always find me. He would visit and claim he was checking up on me. On one occasion, he visited he said I should not discuss his visits with my friend, his wife. I then began to smell a rat but I kept my calm,” Adaku said.

“The deadline elapsed and my job offer was not ready. In September, he asked to see me in their apartment. I declined but he made me believe he was not alone. I called his wife and she did not answer her call. So I went to visit him and I informed my neighbour of where I was going. When I got there, he offered me a red wine and I drank it. All along, I was so eager to hear the news of the job.

“To my utter dismay, he said he loved me and would like us to be going out. I regret going to his house that day. He begged and begged but I knew I was not going to accept his request. He promised to take me out shopping to get new clothes in preparation for the anticipated job, new job, and so many other things. I turned down his sexual request and left.

“He gave me N10,000 as transport fare. He continued to visit me unannounced. I maintained that all I was looking for was a job and not a relationship. When I realised that all he wanted was to use the anticipated job to take advantage of me, I told him in October that I was opting out and that he should return my money.

“He has been failing on his refund promises for months now. This is February and he has not refunded my money. I was calling and insulting him to return my money. At some point, I was scared that he might come to harm me because of the insults I was hurling at him.”

Adaku also told FIJ that she became sure the job facilitation was unreliable when she heard that the FIRS commenced a recruitment process on November 1, and in February, shortlisted people were getting emails for an aptitude test, but she did not get any.

When contacted for comments on February 15, Collinus admitted collecting the money but denied making sexual advances towards Adaku. However, audio recordings of his conversations with the lady at FIJ’s disposal confirmed that he actually requested a sexual relationship from Adaku.

On the same day, the naval officer refunded N200,000 out of the N400,000. Since then, he has refused to return the balance.

“If I am looking for a woman to sleep with, I have my money to get one. There is no way I can go after my wife’s friend for sex,” Collinus said, adding that “I used to give her money because she doesn’t have a job.”

“So, I was shocked when you said she said I was trying to take advantage of her. I was on my own when she approached me for a job. The man told me to be patient until between February and March when they would be recruiting, but she was not ready to wait any longer.

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“I am going to return the money in batches exactly the way she sent it to me. That money will be returned to her instantly. I blame myself for involving myself in this and I did it because of my wife.”

He then promised to refund the money in March. However, he had not done so at press time.

When reached on the phone on Friday, Collinus told FIJ never to call his line again. “Don’t disturb my phone again,” he said.