A Nigerian man has spoken out after discovering that more than N200,000 was purportedly debited from his bank account as a result of a COVID-19-era government intervention that he said was never intended to be a loan.

The individual revealed the information in a popular video, where he described how the money was reportedly withdrawn from his account several years after he got cash from a government COVID-19 assistance program.

According to him, he discovered the problem after receiving a debit warning while returning from a farm inspection in Ekiti State.

The individual stated that he awoke to find that more than N200,000 had been deducted from his account, and that he immediately feared a point-of-sale transaction or another type of unauthorised debit.

He later discovered that the transaction occurred in 2020, amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

He claimed that one of his relatives, whom he identified as a politician, had approached him at the time regarding a government COVID-19 assistance program.

“I woke up yesterday and over 200 and something thousand I was gone from my account. I never knew how this money was debited. I never knew.

I thought it was POS and all of those stuff. Until I traced the money back to 2020. Let me explain.

2020, during the COVID period, one of my uncle reached out to me and was like, bro, there is a government COVID program support that is currently going on.

Send me your account details and in a week time they will send you this amount of money. But you give me 150,000 out of it.

I specifically made it clear This is my body, this is my soul, this is my mind We don’t like debt Is a loan or is a grant?”

He said his uncle assured him that the money was a grant and not a loan.

“He’s a politician He said it’s a grant, but it’s not a loan He made it very clear I sent him my details.”

The man said about three weeks later, approximately ₦378,000 was credited to his account.

He added that the bank deducted about ₦22,000, after which he transferred ₦150,000 to his uncle as agreed.

“Three weeks later, they sent a total of 378,000 Something like that, 22,000 was taken by the bank I sent him His 150,000 It was a minute that I received that credit alert that he sent his account details for his 150.”

According to the man, he recently travelled to Ekiti State for a farm inspection.

He said he stopped in Lokoja and spent the night there while returning from the trip.

He claimed that during the night, he received a debit alert for more than N200,000.

“I sent him the 150 only to travel to Ekiti three days ago for a farm inspection and I was on my way coming back. I stopped at Lokoja, passed the night in Lokoja and during the night I received a debit alert of over 200 and something and I was like where is this debit alert coming from?”

He said he subsequently traced the deduction to the COVID-19-related transaction from 2020.

He alleged that the deduction was connected to a CBN directive involving the recovery of funds from the programme.

“Only to trace it back and it went back to that COVID-19 whatever, CBN has instructed GSI whatever, to start the GC money and all of that now I was left with only 5,000 and they even pity me leave 5,000 for the account.”

The man said the remaining ₦5,000 became crucial because he needed money to continue his journey.

He explained that he had been travelling from Lokoja towards Benue State and had to find an alternative way to reach his destination after discovering that his available funds were insufficient.

“That was what I used to sort out for another money before I found my way to Benue, still the money I sort out for was not even enough to bring me to Benue.”

According to him, he eventually went to a motor park but could not afford the required transport fare.

“So when I went to the park they told me the transport is this is that I look at my pocket and I was like what do I need to I went to stand by the roadside and start stopping to recycle, truck, any vehicle.

So long you’re heading to Benue, whichever way you can, let’s just go.”

The man said his major concern was not repaying money if it was genuinely a loan.

However, he insisted that he had never knowingly applied for a loan connected to the money he received in 2020.

“Now, my message is, I had signed up for loan, paying back is not a problem. But I didn’t sign up for this.

I never knew this was it. Now I’m being left to pay for all of this money. That was like, what did I even take?

What would I even take the loan for? If it’s a loan, what was I even needing money then for? because I was not that, I was little.”

He said he was now a graduate without a job and was trying to build a livelihood through farming.

“Anyway, my message is, this is where I am. I’m currently in the farm. You gave me loan.

Now I’m a graduate. There is no job for me. I’m trying to sort my life from this bush here.”

He further complained that every little amount of money he managed to earn was being deducted from his account.

“And whichever money, little money I try to get, you guys will take it. Now you’ve taken all of the money.”

The man said he would repay the money but asked that further deductions from his account be delayed until he begins making money from his farm.

“So I’m telling you now that you will have to wait till I start selling my farm product before you get to withdraw another one from my account.

I’m going to pay the money. I’m going to whatever it takes to see how I can pay this money. but everybody na just thief una be.”