Water Truck Driver Arrested For Wasting His Boss Sales Money On Sport Betting

A 26-year-old Nigerian named Samuel Meyiwa, employed as a sachet water delivery driver, found himself in legal trouble when it was discovered that he diverted his company’s sales money into sports betting. The Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos was the venue for his arraignment.

Meyiwa, who had been hired in March, allegedly engaged in deceptive practices by using a portion of his daily sales income for gambling activities without the knowledge of his employer. In October, he reportedly sold sachet water worth N88,000 and failed to return the proceeds, claiming that customers owed him. This pattern persisted in November, where he repeated the offense by using N300,000 from the sales of sachet water for betting instead of fulfilling his delivery duties. When his bets were unsuccessful, he reportedly disappeared.

Efforts to locate Meyiwa proved challenging until he was spotted working at another company. The police apprehended him, leading to his appearance before Magistrate A.O Salawu. The prosecution, represented by Oriabure, informed the court that Meyiwa committed the offense between March and November 2023 at Okusanya Street, off Adebayo Road, Bariga. The charge brought against him falls under Section 287 (7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015, pertaining to stealing.

In a separate incident, a 31-year-old man named Chukwuma Onoh tragically took his own life in Abia State after reportedly losing N2.5 million in an online bet. Facing a debt of N1.2 million, which he had borrowed from friends to supplement his N1.3 million bet, Onoh reached out to a man presumed to be his boss via WhatsApp. In a heartfelt message, he expressed the dire situation he found himself in, citing unemployment and the pressure to repay his debt.

Despite Onoh’s plea for financial assistance, his boss was unable to help immediately and advised him to request patience from his creditors. In a distressing turn of events, Onoh posted a message on his Facebook page declaring it as his last day on earth. Less than two hours later, he ingested a toxic substance, presumably Sniper, and was rushed to Madonna Hospital Umuahia. Despite efforts by medical professionals, Onoh was declared dead. The incident sheds light on the severe consequences of gambling-related financial distress.