An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Hembafan Toryila, has ordered the arrest of a restaurant owner in Benue State over the purchase of a N1,500 Sharwama and the confusion that emanated from the transaction thereafter.
The female operative had visited Star Sharwama shop to get one of the snack and she promised to make use of online payment but there was a network issue as the accountant could not verify her transfer immediately.
She was permitted to leave with the item with the agreement that she would be notified of payment once they are able to see alert notification to that effect.
Misunderstanding started when the operative sent 1,600 instead of 1,500 and the accountant mistook the transaction for another customer.
The payment was later traced to her after a visit to the bank but she was infuriated at that point and stormed the Sharwama store with fully armed personnel to arrest the owner and some of her workers.
“A female EFCC staff ordered and paid for an item, she was supposed to pay N1500 but made an online transfer of N1600 instead.
“Meanwhile Star Sharwama was expecting an alert for the payment of N1500 but the alert did not drop, they saw an alert but assumed it was for another person’s order not hers because her bill was N1,500 and not N1,600.
“They kept calling to remind her of their money, when they finally got the statement from the bank which showed that she was the person, who made the payment of N1600, Star Sharwama called to inform her and apologize for everything but she was very angry and vowed to deal with the owner, Mnena Anita Ato.
“On Wednesday, Miss Ato was arrested with other staff of her restaurant and detained at EFCC office in Makurdi.
“The others were later released but she was kept in detention and released around 9:45pm. She was accused of fraud,” a source familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters.
In a video seen online, one of the EFCC operatives repeatedly said the team was acting on ‘instruction’.
“We are here to shut this place down, everybody is leaving this place. I am acting under instruction,” one of the operatives, who stormed the Sharwama shop said.
