I wipe the sweat off my brow with my right hand, burning with heat from the inside, seated in front of my lawyer. My mind was somewhere else, matter of fact, I didn't pay attention to a single thing he said. He was giving me advice on what to do to get myself out of the mess I was in.
It started with a call this morning from an unknown international number. I squinted my face trying to recollect if I had any relative or friend outside the country, but none came to mind.
I picked up the call and the caller announced that he was Elon Musk and my father. Sure, the accent sounded like a foreign one, but I burst out laughing. Which Elon Musk? The same Elon Musk?
Scammers have upgraded their game. I was about to drop the call when he requested to call me on video call. That's new, I wasn't expecting that.
He called me on WhatsApp via video call and I was shocked! He was Elon Musk.
He told me about how he came to Nigeria for a project before he got rich. He met my mother and they fell in love. He couldn't take her back cause he couldn't afford it then. He learned of my birth after he was out of the country.
My mother considered his action of leaving her behind a betrayal, so she cut off every contact with him.
He had been searching for me for years before he finally located me. It took a lot of time and money, but it was worth it.
He even sent me pictures of his and my mother's younger version. That erased all the doubt left in me. I was sold.
He promised to come to Nigeria soon, but he was currently working on a project in Sudan. He begged me not to tell anyone, not even my Mother about what he told me. He wanted to surprise her and claim me publicly himself. The media would ruin all that if they knew about it beforehand.
I pinched myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming, and truly I wasn't. He assured me that I was the heir to his kingdom, and he can't wait to show me off.
We even compared jawlines, and yes, it was similar. I was on cloud nine, I felt like the luckiest person alive.
He said he wanted to send me some money so, I should send my account number, and my BVN (Bank Verification Number). I quickly rattled both off without stopping to think.
True to his words, five million naira landed in my bank account almost immediately. Wow! just like that?
He truly is my father.
I thanked him and promised to make him proud.
He kept smiling and said he was already proud of me. He said he was going to surprise me again cause I showed I was grateful.
I heard my phone beep again, and fifteen million naira landed in my account again. I thought I was going to run mad.
As per his plans to come to Nigeria, he wants me to transfer 13 million out of the 15 million he just sent to an agent who was helping him put things in place for his arrival.
It was the least I could do. A whole 7 million in a day? It's more than winning the lottery. He sent me the account number, and I proceeded to make the transfer.
There was a problem I didn't envisage though, My limit with Zenith Bank was 5 million naira daily. I forgot.
I told him and his mood changed instantly. He threatened to deal with me if I don't forward the money. I was surprised at the change in his mood, we were having a smooth conversation moments before.
He told me the money needs to get to the account he sent to me today. He said I should enter the bank before he loses his composure.
I was surprised, he dropped the call and I was trying to figure out how to get the money to the account he sent to me.
My phone beeped again, and I checked the message, it was an OTP (one-time password) from my bank. I didn't request it, so I was confused.
He called in again through video call and told me to send him the OTP my bank just sent. It was at that moment I regained my senses. I asked why he needed the otp and he told me it was because he wanted to take the money out himself.
I wondered how that was possible, probably because I was stupid to give him my BVN. It was a very stupid thing to do, but greed didn't let me think.
I informed him I won't be giving him the one-time password and I was even on my way to the bank. I ended the call amidst expletives and insults from him.
I got to the bank and went to complain about the suspicious transactions. I was hardly halfway through my story when EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) officers grabbed me and whisked me to their office. The bank called them because the amount on any individual account shouldn't be more than 15 million. The origin of the transactions seemed suspicious too, and it was their duty to report any such transactions.
I tried to explain to them to no avail that Elon Musk was my father, but they laughed at me. We reached their office where I was allowed to call my lawyer, and they interrogated me with the lawyer present. I told them all that I knew, and they told me the person who sent the money wasn't Elon Musk. It was a hacker who usually stole people's money and bounced it around various accounts before it disappeared.
They have been on the trail of the mysterious, notorious hacker for so long, and are yet to apprehend him. They got a ping off one of their searches when he sent money to me.
I argued that I saw Elon Musk on a video call, and they told me it was all smoke and mirrors. the credit was to advanced technology. The scammers have upgraded their game, and they have been putting innocent victims in jail to pay for their actions. They have an app they use for stuff like that.
My only saving grace was that I hadn't spent a dime of the money, otherwise, it would have been difficult to absolve myself.
I've always complained about Zenith Bank services, but they saved my hide today.
I was granted bail and allowed to go home while investigations continued.
My lawyer and I stopped at a restaurant to discuss all that had happened, and he told me not to answer any questions in his absence and deny any allegations against me. It was their job to gather evidence against me, it was his job as my lawyer to refute any claims they make.
I sat alone after he left and burst out laughing, for someone who graduated top of his class, I did something stupid. How could I have even for a moment believed Elon Musk could be my father? I didn't even have the slightest shade of his color, how common was that? Blame it on greed. Unfortunately, greed can't be held to account like I've been. What a day!