A man who lent his financially struggling friend N6 million has revealed how his friend tried to kill him to avoid paying back the loan.
The man, who tweets from @TheManAfricano, narrated the experience in a series of tweets on Thursday.
He said, “Today makes it exactly 4 years that I tried to support a friend but then he ended up trying to kill me. This guy had reached out to explain how depression is already dragging (him) in(to having) suicidal thoughts. I asked how I can be of help, and he returned to ask for a loan of 6 million naira.
“I asked what he needed the money for and he explained how lucrative transportation business is and how he intend to buy a Toyota Hiace, and be using it to transport people from Ondo to Lagos. He assured me he will be paying a guaranteed sum of 300k every month, and sometimes more.
“I asked him to give me about 2 weeks. On July 27, 2019, I sent him the money. A month later after that, he bought the car and sent me a picture and told me how he needs some time to register at the motor park before he can be allowed to spring fully into action.
“I actually advised if he can get someone else to be driving the car and all he needed to do was to manage since he is a university graduate. But he insisted he will do the driving. And things went well for the first 2 months. It was after that, that problems started.
“He started complaining about the vehicle developing mechanic(al) problems and how he’s spending to fix the car and how he has been in effective hence, he might not meet up 300k guaranteed promise for that month. I believed and I said it wasn’t a problem. But then the next month it was the same story again.
“After the 4th month, I noticed he was avoiding my calls. And he only returns calls whenever he thinks it fit. Two months passed by, with this guy not sending me anything. When I started to threaten him, was when he dropped the bombshell.
“He told me he doesn’t know how to tell me that the car’s engine is knocked hence he hasn’t been working, but has been trying to save so as to buy another engine and he doesn’t want to disturb me with the devastating news but he assured he will fix the car. I suspected foul play.
“So I told him, I have a mechanic who will come check the car, and possibly fix it. He said that was fine and I gave my mechanic his number so they can contact. After the spoke once, he stopped picking the mechanic’s call. That was when the real drama began.
“I sent some guys to go to Oka car park in Ondo to help me make enquiry about the guy and the car since I have a picture of the car and some paper works. I still didn’t want to inform the police at this point. Those guys reliably told me that they were informed that the dude has stopped coming to the park for like a month now.
“I sent some few mutual friends to him, and that was when he reached out via text, that he will pay the balance of the loan the following month and I should stop trailing him around. That will remain one of the rudest shocks of my life. Coming from someone we grew up together in the same neighborhood till university days.
“That was when I involved the police. That was when I discovered he had moved to Ibadan. People advised me to arrest his parents so as to get him to come back. But then I know his parents, they are not the ones that wronged me. Why will I then lock them up in a Nigerian Cell at that age?
“I tried to threaten I was going to arrest his parents if he doesn’t pay me my money back the following month. It was that same month I started feeling something in my throat that wasn’t allowing me to eat properly.
“I went to an ENT specialist and they did everything but they couldn’t find anything wrong with my throat. Shortly afterward, I also started hearing noises from the inner part of my ears.
“What started as joke became something that became painful. It felt like a bone was stuck in my throat but then the doctors said there was nothing wrong with my throat after examining it. They even said maybe it was anxiety.
“I had to stop work for a while, as I started feeling some pains. That was when the doctors said I would have to undergo surgery. It was at that point I had to inform my parents, as I had kept them in the dark since.
“My mum was particularly so worried, and all she said was I should call the guy and tell him that he shouldn’t worry about paying me back anymore that I have confirmed that the engine is faulty and willing to take it as one of my business risks. This I did.
“My surgery was scheduled for February 24th, 2020. 3 weeks before my surgery I woke up from a dream trying to fall from an uncompleted building. That same day, the throat pain stopped, and till date, I have never had pain in my throat again.
“As simple as this might sound. I could have lost my life in a bid to help a friend. That incident killed my trust for anything called human. Even though, that hasn’t stopped me from helping , as there are people on this app that I have helped financially. But then never will I go through this route of helping anyone again.”
