06/03/2025
This is a very sad one... Lagos house scam
Hello Correct Bro
I’ve Been Scammed of My House Rent Money 😭😭😭😭
I’ve been searching for a house since last year July in Lagos, working with different agents, but nothing worked out. In January 2025, a friend sent me a picture of an agent’s banner she saw in her street. She had once mentioned that was how she got her apartment in the past, so I decided to give it a try because I was already squatting with a friend, my landlord evicted me as he needed the apartment I was staying for his cook.
I contacted the agent, Mr Dawodu, and we started talking. He would mention apartments, but most were too far from my place of work. Fast forward to February, he told me about a new house in Aguda.
The total cost for rent and other fees was #950,000. He sent me pictures and assured me I’d like the place. We scheduled an inspection for the 9th of February 2025.
When I got to the junction close to the house, I called the agent, but he said he couldn’t make it and gave me a number to call – a man named Mr. Obinna, who he said was the manager of the property. I thought this was normal since some agents refer you to someone else for inspections sometimes.
Mr. Obinna showed up and took me to the house. It was a new, unpainted self-contained apartment in a newly built building with some workers still around. I liked it. He claimed he had reserved the apartment for me since the agent spoke to him, and that the other apartments have all been taken.He then took me to meet the landlord, who he said lived in Lawanson, Surulere.
On the way, Mr. Obinna was on the phone with someone who said the landlord (referred to as Baba) was about to leave. When we got to the address in Lawanson, someone at the gate told us Baba had just left. Mr. Obinna called Baba, who said he was at LUTH hospital for his injection. He suggested we meet him there or wait for him to meet us at his house, but the manager insisted we go to the hospital to meet him.
We went to LUTH and met Baba in front of the UBA bank. He had asked us to wait there. He was an elderly, tall, dark, and heavy-set man wearing glasses. He interviewed me, asking many questions about my background and even apologized for being thorough, saying he was careful about who he rents his properties to. He seemed legitimate, and I felt reassured after meeting him.
Baba sent me his account details:
Account Name: Yusuf Shamsideen
Bank: Fidelity Bank
Account Number: 6671768343
The total cost was #950,000, but Mr. Obinna negotiated on my behalf, claiming I was his “sister” (since he spoke my dialect and said he was from my state and local government). Baba agreed to not add the caution fee of #50,000, so I paid #900,000 when I got home. Baba had told the manager to make sure the house was ready as soon as possible because I told him I wanted to move in immediately.
After paying, I called Baba and Mr. Obinna to confirm. Baba told me to follow up with Mr. Obinna for the receipt and agreement. They assured me the apartment would be ready in a week, as only painting was remaining.
A week later, I tried calling Mr. Obinna, but his number was switched off. I tried it for a few days as I didn't even realize I was scammed, it was still switched off. I called Baba, and his number was also off. I also called the agent. It rang several times but he didn't answer. I later sent him a whatsapp message which replied saying he'd call later, that he had lost his sister and had traveled. I panicked and went to the apartment., it was on a Thursday. There, I met a lady who said she had rented the same apartment since January but she's just trying to move in. She had been given the key the previous week. She told me who the real manager and Landlord were. The Landlord was an Igbo man who lived in the next compound and not the Baba I was taken to in Surulere. I also asked the people I met outside and they confirmed who the Landlord was. No one new Mr Obinna or the Baba Landlord. They were all scam, even the agent was part of the scam.
It was then I realized I had been scammed. The “Baba” and “Mr. Obinna” were fake.
Since then, the numbers of the fake manager (Mr. Obinna) and fake landlord (Baba) have been switched off. The agent’s number (+234 813 066 7450) still rings, but he doesn’t answer my calls. I haven’t let him know I’ve discovered the scam.
On Friday, being the next day, I went to the house again with my friend. We wanted to see the Landlord and the manager but they were not available. We went to Aguda police station to report the matter. We paid #2,000 to them. As I narrated my story, one female police woman was saying the account name was familiar and that someone had come to report the same name and the victim also mentioned she went LUTH to meet with the Landlord. The same description of the Landlord I gave was the description the lady gave them.
So apparently, these people have been scamming other people too and they have not been caught.
I waited for the Police man I was told would track the phone numbers as he wasn't around. When he came, he said I should pay #10,000 to open a case and he gave me a sheet to write a statement which I did. I was told to come back this week for tracking, and that the tracking costs a lot of money.
Meanwhile, we had gone to Lawanson, Surulere, the exact compound I was first taken to, to ask about the fake Landlord. We also went to LUTH. No one knew him.
Here are the numbers involved:
Agent: +234 813 066 7450
Fake Manager (Mr. Obinna): 08134169547
Fake Landlord (Yusuf Shamsideen): 0701105 9295
I’ve lost everything I saved for this house. I do not know where to start from as I’m already stranded 😭😭😭. Who do I turn to in this hard economy 😥😥😥
Please, if anyone has information or can help me recover my money, I’d be forever grateful.
This scam has left me with nothing, I’m almost homeless 😭😭😭😭😭
Can anybody help
