My Encounter With 419ners In Abuja

Hi all,

This is to notify all nairalanders who reside in Abuja that their is a group of people who are trying to extort money from people (so I thought) and I had an encounter with them:

I entered a cab, (a very rugged car) from Gana to Nicon Junction, when we were approaching the round-about at the British council’s area, A lady sitting at the back told the driver she wanted to alight, she asked if could get “Going” (commercial motorcycle), I was very surprised because everybody knew “Going” (commercial motorcycle) is not allowed within Abuja metropolis anymore.

I told her she could take another cab as no “Going” (commercial motorcycle) were allowed, she then proceeded to tell the driver that her Ghana-must-go is in the boot and she will like to get it, the driver asked (as if surprised) if she were the owner of the bag and that he gave it to a previous passenger who alighted (before I boarded I suppose). She made as if to cry and I pitied her, the driver on seeing this said the woman has no truth in her mouth because when the previous passenger alighted she told him to be careful with her bag because if contains breakable plates and baby clothes that she sells but when he opened it was full of hard currency.

The moment I heard “Ghana-must-go full of money” I knew they were 419ners (the driver, a man beside the driver and the lady sitting with me at the back) because I have had a similar encounter with them (not this particular group) before.

So I told the lady to take it easy since the driver has agreed to take her back to try and locate the other passenger so she could get her bag back. But when I put 2 and 2 together it did not make sense. I mean how could the driver have given the woman’s bag to the other passenger when he knew it was full of hard currency and the fellow passenger (the fellow 419ner sitting beside the driver) asked the lady how she came to possess dollars but I never heard the driver mention dollar. All the while the car was virtually crawling (done purposely by the driver) and I finally got my chance to escape when the driver took a wrong turn (in his bid to rope me in), I quickly pointed out that I was not going that way and will like to alight without making him suspect anything (incase they were ritualist)

I alighted and that was that for that. My sister had a similar encounter just last month, the only variation was that the taxi was a little grand when compared to my own and the driver was wearing a spike like hair style and listening to Gospel music with a bibble beside him but the line was delivered the same way as mine “Ghana-must-go full of money”.

Has anyone had similar encounter in Abuja or anywhere in Nigeria? If YES, please share it and if NO, then inform friends and family members to be weary of such characters as am sure they still manage to dupe some people (some greedy people)

Excuse my ignorance but what is a 419ner?

Thank God you escaped it. A lot of people fall for this out of greed. I keep telling people that THERE IS NO FREE MEAL ANYWHERE, EVEN IN FREETOWN!  These crooks have different approaches but to a discerning mind, they sound alike. I wonder, despite all the stories in the dailies/internet some people still fall victims. WHY?  I advise people to always be on red alert. Don't start conversation with people you don't know. Even when you do, let it be with CAUTION! May God help us all.

Here is my own experience which I also shared on my recent thread titled: HERE IS MY 419 EXPERIENCE. I didnt know Aleroaruya had a similar thread, with an experience so similar to that it might have been the same team of crooks


I entered a Red Taxi from Jabi (I wanted to get to Berger jnctn in Wuse, Abuja) on 27th August, 2007. The driver already had two passengers before me. A man and a young light-skined (ugly) lady. "Heh!", He exclaimed, as we approached Berger Junvtion. "These VIO people dey here, abeg make I follow like say I de go Area 1, go turn for the other side".

As he boycotted the roundabout, the young lady said she wanted to drop and that she has load. 'Ahh!', said the driver, 'I though You said You were not the owner of that blue bag in the boot'. She replied and admitted that it was hers. Suddenly, the driver said he was going to take her to their Union for questioning. The other passenger then started pleading for the girl that and asking the driver just to drop her saying "What did she put in the bag?" That was how the driver started accusing her that so she was the one that owns the bag that contain so much dollars and that she had told him her luggage contained plates (Doesnt this 419 drill sound farmiliar). He treatened to take this girl to the police.

Wow!!,  A professional 419ner. Only God knows how many people he has duped and how much he has made through his lucrative develish business.

Back to my own story:

At the mention of the word DOLLAR$, the other male passenger (seated beside the driver) turned and asked the girl what business she was int and where she got the dollars from.

She then said "Oga, abeg make una no carry me go police,  I de work with one Alhaji, I sabi am from club almost 7 years now. The man don promise say e go marry since, e never marry me. I don even comot 5 bele for this man, still, every year e go say im go marry me. Na im the man come travel yesterday go Libya. na im e get one room we the man no de allow me enter. E come get one key we I find for near the man chair as I de clean im bedroom. I come try the key for that secret room door, the door com open. Wetin I come see full inside the room na dollars. na im I say make I carry run come Abuja. Please make una help me, I no even know any where for this town. I be stranger.

The other man then asked, "Which kind business your Oga de do?"

She replied, "The man na Niger man, e de do Bureau De Change and e de also do petrol station."

Ahh!! the driver exclaimed, "Na them they thief our money go their country" (Trying to arouse sentiments)

"Okay", said the driver, "I no go tell this girl make e just settle only me make I no carry am go police because una de here and una fit carry my car no go report to police. Wetin go happen be say How much you go settle us?

"$2000" said the girl

"Kai! You are very stupid. you must be a gready girl. With all that money. You are very stupid.

Oga wetin You think say make we do this girl? At this stage, he stopped the car again by the road, that we should open the boot and split the dollars there. I objected to stoping there. The other man too said He had a reputation to protect and that we couldnt just stop there to share dollars. The girl wanted to even open her door, but I ordered her to "COM'ON, SHUT THAT DOOR, Where do u think u are going?". 

The driver started off again and the negociation with the girl continued. But the driver really wanted to know what I felt about the issue so he asked again.

I then told the driver to stop the car. he stoped it immediately. I told them that, look, if they wanted to take the girl to the security operatives, they should either take her to the sate security or EFCC. I told the girl to negotiate well with them. As for me, 'I LIKE MONEY' but I didnt need THIS money. That was how I got out of the car, crossed the road to get a drop and flee from that area.

I must admit that I wasnt sure immediately whether they were 4!9ners or they it was a true story untill I called my friend, Fred to tell him about my encounter, and he asked me, "ARE You SURE You WERE NOT THE VICTIM?"

Seems Nigeria'll never change.