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Widow Demands Justice As 19-Year-Old Son Languishes In Detention Over Employer's POS Fraud Case | Sahara Reporters

Published 1 day ago4 minute read

Despite claims that the transaction in question was initiated by a third party and not by Gafar, the teenager remains in police custody.

A distressed widow has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the continued detention of her 19-year-old son, Gafar Oluwaseun Babalola, by officers in Lagos State.

Gafar, who recently completed his secondary school education, was working as a Point of Sale (POS) attendant for a business identified as Digital Concept in the Iyana School area of Iba, Lagos, when he was arrested in connection with a suspicious transaction reportedly carried out by a customer already under police investigation.

Despite claims that the transaction in question was initiated by a third party and not by Gafar, the teenager remains in police custody.

His employer — a woman who owns the POS business — was reportedly released without charge, sparking outrage and questions over why Gafar remains behind bars.

His mother, speaking to SaharaReporters on Sunday, said her son had only been trying to support himself and the family following the death of his father. Amid sobs, she described the arrest as unjust and called on authorities to intervene.

“My son is innocent. He was only working to make ends meet. I’m a widow with no means, and I helped him get that job. Now they’ve taken him, and we have no money, no lawyer, and no help,” she cried.

“When my son finished secondary school, I had no money to send him to a higher institution,” she said. “So I helped him get a place to manage before he could gain admission. I took him to one of my friends who owns a POS business. She had said she needed an attendant, so I brought my son. He was combining it with schooling and usually worked on weekends.”

She explained that after taking his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Gafar planned to work and save money for further education.

“On Friday, his boss’ husband called to say they were in Ikeja and that my son wouldn’t be coming home. He said the police had arrested both my son and his boss, the owner of the business centre. I couldn’t go immediately, but I went to Ikeja the next day,” she said.

The distraught mother is now pleading with authorities to investigate the case properly and release her son, who she insists is innocent and only doing an honest job to support his future.

She told SaharaReporters that the husband of her son's employer claimed a transfer was made into the POS account. According to her, a man reportedly sent his daughter on an errand, during which an armed robber allegedly stole the money and took all her phones.

"So the scammer made a transfer to the POS account," she said.

"Meanwhile, the police have been investigating the case since January, according to what her husband told me. He also said that the scammer transferred N800,000 into his wife's account as part of the fraudulent transactions. They claim to be working on identifying others involved in the scheme."

She stated that when she requested to see her son at the police station in Ikeja, she was informed that most of the transactions occurred between December and January, and that he had no knowledge of or connection to the fraudsters.

She also questioned why the police continued to detain her son, who was only working as a POS attendant, while the actual account owner had already been granted bail.

“I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Lagos State Police Commissioner, and the Lagos State Government to please investigate the matter. The police found nothing incriminating on my son despite their investigations, so he should be released,” she pleaded.

When SaharaReporters contacted the POS shop owner to ask why she had been released while her employee remained in custody, she declined to comment, stating only that she would send her lawyer's contact.

As of the time of filing this report, she had not done so.

Meanwhile, the husband of the POS shop owner—who is also Gafar’s employer—called SaharaReporters, yelling angrily over the phone.

He said, "My wife told me that you called her. What do you want to know? Who told you about the case? I don't give a damn if you're calling from SaharaReporters—you could also be a fraud. Why are you calling?"

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages.

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