The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has issued a strong warning to Nigerian women, declaring that collecting transport fare from a man without showing up is a punishable offence.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, gave the warning in a video on Wednesday.
She explained that such behaviour falls under obtaining money under false pretence and is punishable by arrest and prosecution if reported.
“Taking transport fare from a man without actually going to meet him is an offence. It is regarded as obtaining money under false pretence, and the law considers it a crime,” she said.
She further urged Nigerians to desist from any financial dealings rooted in deceit, warning that the law will not overlook such actions.
In recent weeks, Nigerian courts have been cracking down on what has now been dubbed “transport fare fraud.”
A magistrate court fined a young woman, Jennifer, a whopping N450,000—or a seven-year jail term—for collecting N50,000 transport fare from a man named Emmanuel and refusing to show up.
The court ruled her actions were fraudulent and exploitative, noting that such cases are on the rise. Jennifer eventually paid the fine.
Earlier in January, another woman, Rhoda Adu, faced a similar fate in Ilesa, Osun State. After collecting N3,000 from her boyfriend, Olapitan, and disappearing, she was ordered to refund the money and pay an extra N150,000 in damages for breach of trust and emotional distress.
Magistrates in both cases stressed that these rulings are meant to serve as a warning to others: deceiving people for transport money is not just immoral, it is criminal.
Meanwhile, the video released by the Rivers PPRO has stirred wide debate on social media, with some Nigerians arguing that the matter is more of a moral failing than a criminal act, while others agree that it constitutes fraud.
