By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
A 73-year-old woman, Mrs.Veronica Okhionpainwonyi, has alleged that she was attacked in place of her son, Efe, by persons suspected to be angry investors in a failed forex trading investment after it was reported that the operators of the forex company had absconded with over 200billion naira of investors’ funds.
According to the story as reported by the Nigerian observer newspaper of November 1 December 2021, the fleeing Efe Okhionpainwonyi, a thrift collector popularly known as Ajo or Osusu whose business solely involves receiving and saving money from interested customers/traders on daily basis within the Oba market and Ring-road axis of Benin City, had allegedly diverted customers funds into a Forex trading investment company with expected huge financial returns for prospective investors.
It was learned that the fleeing thrift collector in early 2020, introduced some of his customers who were interested in forex trading owing to its huge financial returns as others were not swayed into investing their hard earned funds into the scheme in the wake of global financial crisis occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic wrecking havoc globally.
It will be recalled that the fleeing Efe had been attacked severally by customers who demanded for a refund after it was reported that the operators of the Forex trading investment company had absconded.
It was also gathered that on December 11,2020 in one of the attacks, a group of customers including one Osaigie and John accosted Efe who was severely beaten up sustaining neck and leg injuries after he was unable to pay up invested funds in the failed Forex trading investment company.
He was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment , as family members made efforts to make entry of the threats to life at the police station.
Meanwhile, the mother, Mrs.Veronica was attacked on July 15th at her house by persons suspected to be customers who again stormed his family house at night to demand for their hard earned funds after shooting indiscriminately in the air during which she was allegedly manhandled after she had told the attackers that her son was nowhere to be found as he had absconded after the previous attack.
It was further alleged that the attackers who angrily left the family house threatened to return for the fleeing Efe whose whereabouts remain unknown while threatening to unleash more havoc on the family.