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The Rivers State Police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, has cautioned young women against collecting transport money from men and then failing to keep their appointments.
Ms Iringe-Koko issued the warning in a video posted on her Facebook page on Tuesday, while highlighting how seemingly minor actions could attract criminal liability.
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She stressed that any woman who accepted money but refused to honour the arrangement risked arrest and imprisonment if the aggrieved man reported the matter.
According to her, such offenders could be prosecuted, as the practice amounts to deception.
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She urged women to desist from financial dealings rooted in dishonesty.
“Why would you collect a transport fare from a man without going to see him? It is an offence. A punishable offence is obtaining money under false pretence, 419. I’m here to give you this piece of information because I’m your number one bestie”, she said.
The Nigerian Constitution states that collecting money under false pretences could attract criminal liability under Section 419 of the Criminal Code.
This section criminalised the act of obtaining property through false pretences, a crime internationally recognised as “419 fraud.”
It stipulated that any person who, with intent to defraud, employed a false pretence to obtain anything capable of being stolen from another individual was guilty of a felony.
The penalty is imprisonment for up to three years.
Backstory
Ms Iringe-Koko’s caution followed a viral video involving a young woman, Jennifer, who faced trial after allegedly failing to visit a man who sent her transport fare.
The video showed Jennifer in court after Emmanuel, the complainant, accused her of taking his money under false pretences.
He claimed she breached an agreement after he transferred funds for her transportation.
In the footage, the presiding judge sentenced Jennifer to seven years’ imprisonment, with the option of paying a fine of N450,000 to settle the matter.
Jennifer later confirmed in another viral clip that she had paid Emmanuel the fine.
She explained that he (Emmanuel) sent her N50,000 as transport fare.
According to her, the dispute began from an online friendship with Emmanuel.
Although they had chatted regularly, she emphasised that they had never met physically.
She said Emmanuel insisted she should travel from Asaba to Abuja to see him, while she maintained it was more appropriate for him to come to her first.
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Despite her reluctance, she said Emmanuel transferred the money into her account and demanded she visit the following day.
Jennifer said she ignored the gesture, refused to acknowledge the transfer, and did not respond to his repeated messages.
She alleged that Emmanuel’s friends later began to threaten her over the issue.
In an effort to calm the situation, Jennifer noted that she attempted to refund the money, but Emmanuel refused to provide his bank details.
She then suggested he use the money to make the trip himself.
By that stage, Jennifer said the case had already escalated into a legal battle.
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