Barber on the run after stealing from employer

A shocking tale of betrayal has emerged in Imo State, Nigeria, where a barber allegedly stole valuables worth 800,000 Naira from a benefactor who had offered him a job and a place to stay.

According to reports, the barber, identified as Emmanuel, had approached a salon owner two weeks ago, seeking help. He claimed to be a victim of hardship, having sold his belongings to pay for his mother’s hospital fees.

Moved by his story, the salon owner connected Emmanuel with a potential employer, a woman who owned a salon and a restaurant. The employer took him in, offering him a job and a place to stay.

However, Emmanuel’s gratitude was short-lived. He disappeared with the employer’s valuables, including a generator, fan, clippers, and other tools, leaving behind only his luggage.

The employer, who had trusted Emmanuel, is now facing financial loss and emotional distress. The salon owner who had vouched for Emmanuel is also facing threats and potential legal consequences.

See post as shared by the salon owner who connected him to an employer;

“So this guy came to my salon about 2 weeks ago, saying he was a barber and needed work. I told him I had a customer (a woman) who owned a salon and was in need of a barber. I called her and explained the situation, and she told him to come over in the next three days, saying she had traveled back home.

So I started questioning the guy, asking where he came from. He said his name was Emmanuel, and he was from Abia state but had been living in Asaba before coming to Imo state. He said he had his own shop but had to sell it to help his mom with her hospital fees due to her chronic illness. After she recovered, he had no means of supporting himself, so he came here to start fresh.

For those three days, I took care of his food (not accommodation, due to security reasons) since he had nowhere to go and no phone (claiming it was stolen on his way here). On the third day, I gave him transport fare to go meet the woman for the job. The next day, I called her to ask how it went, and she said she had interviewed him and found out they were from the same village in Abia state and spoke the same language. She even gave him a room in her apartment and said she ran a restaurant, so his food needs were covered (making me feel relaxed).

Now, four days ago, around 8:30 pm, she called me asking if Emmanuel had come to my place that night. I said no, and she narrated how he came to her shop that afternoon, saying he felt cold and wanted to get his sweater from the house. She gave him the key and some money to buy drugs. He came back after a few minutes, saying he couldn’t reach home and returned to the shop. When she came back at night, she found the shop locked and assumed he had gone home early due to the cold. She went home and found him nowhere, and her son said he hadn’t seen him either. She then called me to ask about his whereabouts.

Sensing danger, I asked her to check her properties at home and in the shop, and she found out his luggage was gone but couldn’t return to the shop due to distance and late hour. The next morning, she called me, saying she went to the shop and found her generator, fan, clippers, and other tools worth around 800k missing, and the neighbors said he was nowhere to be found. Now, after all this, the woman is warning me to disclose his whereabouts or face the consequences, and she has involved the police (me, who hasn’t even seen 800k before, now in trouble!). I’m so devastated, seeing what my kindness has brought upon me…”