Panic and anger have gripped residents of Osogbo, Osun State, after a foodstuff outlet around Odi Olowo allegedly shut down after collecting advance payments from hundreds of customers for heavily discounted food items.
The outlet reportedly attracted customers with unusually low prices, offering 50kg bags of rice for between ₦20,000 and ₦30,000, while cartons of Indomie noodles were allegedly sold for about ₦5,000 to ₦7,000.
Customers, lured by the bargain prices, reportedly made payments upfront after being told to return seven days later to collect their purchases.
But when customers returned on the appointed collection day, they allegedly met an empty shop.
The operators were reportedly nowhere to be found, while attempts to reach them by phone allegedly proved unsuccessful.
The development triggered confusion and anger among affected customers, forcing them to call in the police as they demanded an investigation and recovery of the money reportedly paid to the outlet.
The incident has also revived memories of an earlier alleged foodstuff-related scheme in the same Odi Olowo area involving Hero’s Merchant/Hero’s Capital, raising fresh questions about how businesses offering unusually cheap food items are able to attract large numbers of customers before allegedly disappearing.
A similar incident was reportedly recorded in Auchi, Edo State, last year, where more than 1,000 people were said to have lost between ₦20 million and ₦30 million after paying for heavily discounted bags of rice.
The latest Osogbo incident has now renewed concerns over the recurring pattern: unusually cheap food prices, advance payments, delayed collection dates and alleged disappearance of operators.
For the affected customers, however, the immediate concern is not the bargain they were promised but whether their money can be recovered and who will be held accountable if wrongdoing is established.
The Press Nigeria will continue to monitor developments as police investigate the Osogbo case.
