₦airaland Forum

So I had the most insane experience last December. Something that still makes my heart race when I remember it.
I was in Nigeria, just jejely making transactions from my foreign accounts, when suddenly all my accounts were blocked on suspicion of fraud. Just like that. No warning.
I called the fraud department at Scotiabank, fully expecting to clear things up in five minutes. After all, I passed every single authentication question. Everything. Then the agent calmly told me I had to appear physically in Canada to verify my account.
I laughed at first. I told him I was in Nigeria. How exactly did he expect me to fly across the Atlantic in the middle of winter just to “verify” myself?
Before I could even process what was happening, my online banking access was shut down completely. These people had already concluded that I should be living in Canada.
That was how my Christmas plans scattered.
I started searching for the cheapest ticket I could find. After hours of looking, I found a United Airlines flight transiting through Dulles Airport in Washington. 11:59pm on Christmas night. About $1,200.
I tried booking with my foreign cards. Nothing went through. My location in Nigeria was now suspicious everywhere. I had to call United directly on the 24th to book manually. Return date: December 30th.
I was pained. Deeply pained.
It would have been my first Christmas in over a decade without snow. No shoveling. No icy wind. Just Lagos vibes. Nigeria sweet, I swear.
But instead, by 7pm Christmas night, I was heading to MMA airport.
We landed at Dulles on the morning of the 26th. As I stood in line for border control, fear gripped me. I was thinking about all the negative things I’ve said about Trump online. I was convinced they would scan my social media and drag me into one interrogation room.
When it got to my turn, the officer asked one simple question and waved me through.
Just like that.

Three-hour layover. Then off to Toronto.
Because of extreme weather warnings in Calgary, I decided not to continue there. We landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto around 8pm.
I had to wait for missing luggage from the next flight. Retrieved it around 9:30pm.

Then I made the mistake of trying to save money.
I searched online and found a room in Etobicoke for $45 per night. In Canada. In December. Red flag, but my mind was on budgeting.

Outside, it was -12°C. Windy. Dark. Brutally cold.
I took a cab to the address.
The moment we pulled up, my spirit dropped.
The house looked abandoned. The street was dead silent. No movement. No life.
I knocked. A groundsman opened and led me inside.
Then I entered the room.

That was when my night turned into a horror movie.
There was another man on the bed beside mine. Unkempt. Dirty. Lying down, staring into his phone and laughing hysterically. Not small laughter. The kind that makes your spine freeze.

Aye mi!

How was I supposed to sleep in the same room with a complete stranger behaving like that?
The room was dark. Only light from the TV and his phone screen. He didn’t greet me. Didn’t acknowledge me. Just kept laughing and scratching himself aggressively.
Outside, snow was falling heavily. Temperature dropping toward -16°C.
And guess what? I didn’t even come with a winter jacket. This trip was never planned.
I told myself I would endure till morning and check into a proper hotel. I dropped my briefcases, brought out my laptop to finish some client work.
Then I saw something.

The guy started scratching himself violently. Almost desperately. Still laughing.
Kilode?!

As I sat there, uneasy, I suddenly felt movement on my sleeve.
I looked down.
A small brown bug was crawling up my jacket… heading toward my neck.
In that split second, my childhood flashed before my eyes.
Growing up in face-me-I-face-you, I battled bed bugs. I know them too well.
I slapped it instantly. Crushed it. Rubbed it between my fingers.
Then I lifted my hand to my nose.
ALAS MY PEOPLE… IT WAS THE UNMISTAKABLE SMELL OF A BED BUG.

I didn’t think twice.

I grabbed my bags and ran out of that house into -16°C snow without a winter jacket.
Yes. I chose freezing over infestation.
Outside, it was 10:40pm. Snowstorm. Wind slapping my face. No idea where I was going.
I ran across the street and entered a shawarma store just to escape the cold.
From there, I called an Uber to the nearest Walmart. It was closing at 11pm. I had less than 20 minutes.
I was already paranoid. I felt like bugs were crawling all over me. I needed new clothes immediately.
By pure luck, they let me in at 10:50pm.
I ran to the winter jacket aisle. Grabbed a heavy coat, toque, gloves, winter socks. I didn’t even check prices.
After paying, I took another cab back to Pearson Airport.

That night, I slept on a bench.
Actually, I didn’t sleep.

I emptied my entire bag on the airport floor. I was shaking. I was inspecting every single item. I even considered dumping all my clothes in the trash.
I called the woman who rented the room to me and threatened to report her to Health Canada.
The audacity of this woman…
She said maybe I was the one who brought the bugs.
Imagine that.

Anyway, that was just Day 1.
Four days of hell followed before I finally escaped back to Lagos.
I couldn’t wait to smell Nigerian air again.

(To be continued.)

-12 degrees…. I need hear your story of when you first left Nigeria and had to face that cold for the very first time…lol


I’m following this

JmyNigaa:
-12 degrees…. I need hear your story of when you first left Nigeria and had to face that cold for the very first time…lol


I’m following this

It was -30C when I landed in Calgary the very first time back in the days, I was there with wife and three small kids, I got out of the Airport terminal and quickly ran back.

Nnamdipapa:
So I had the most insane experience last December. Something that still makes my heart race when I remember it.
I was in Nigeria, just jejely making transactions from my foreign accounts, when suddenly all my accounts were blocked on suspicion of fraud. Just like that. No warning.
I called the fraud department at Scotiabank, fully expecting to clear things up in five minutes. After all, I passed every single authentication question. Everything. Then the agent calmly told me I had to appear physically in Canada to verify my account.
I laughed at first. I told him I was in Nigeria. How exactly did he expect me to fly across the Atlantic in the middle of winter just to “verify” myself?
Before I could even process what was happening, my online banking access was shut down completely. These people had already concluded that I should be living in Canada.
That was how my Christmas plans scattered.
I started searching for the cheapest ticket I could find. After hours of looking, I found a United Airlines flight transiting through Dulles Airport in Washington. 11:59pm on Christmas night. About $1,200.
I tried booking with my foreign cards. Nothing went through. My location in Nigeria was now suspicious everywhere. I had to call United directly on the 24th to book manually. Return date: December 30th.
I was pained. Deeply pained.
It would have been my first Christmas in over a decade without snow. No shoveling. No icy wind. Just Lagos vibes. Nigeria sweet, I swear.
But instead, by 7pm Christmas night, I was heading to MMA airport.
We landed at Dulles on the morning of the 26th. As I stood in line for border control, fear gripped me. I was thinking about all the negative things I’ve said about Trump online. I was convinced they would scan my social media and drag me into one interrogation room.
When it got to my turn, the officer asked one simple question and waved me through.
Just like that.

Three-hour layover. Then off to Toronto.
Because of extreme weather warnings in Calgary, I decided not to continue there. We landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto around 8pm.
I had to wait for missing luggage from the next flight. Retrieved it around 9:30pm.

Then I made the mistake of trying to save money.
I searched online and found a room in Etobicoke for $45 per night. In Canada. In December. Red flag, but my mind was on budgeting.

Outside, it was -12°C. Windy. Dark. Brutally cold.
I took a cab to the address.
The moment we pulled up, my spirit dropped.
The house looked abandoned. The street was dead silent. No movement. No life.
I knocked. A groundsman opened and led me inside.
Then I entered the room.

That was when my night turned into a horror movie.
There was another man on the bed beside mine. Unkempt. Dirty. Lying down, staring into his phone and laughing hysterically. Not small laughter. The kind that makes your spine freeze.

Aye mi!

How was I supposed to sleep in the same room with a complete stranger behaving like that?
The room was dark. Only light from the TV and his phone screen. He didn’t greet me. Didn’t acknowledge me. Just kept laughing and scratching himself aggressively.
Outside, snow was falling heavily. Temperature dropping toward -16°C.
And guess what? I didn’t even come with a winter jacket. This trip was never planned.
I told myself I would endure till morning and check into a proper hotel. I dropped my briefcases, brought out my laptop to finish some client work.
Then I saw something.

The guy started scratching himself violently. Almost desperately. Still laughing.
Kilode?!

As I sat there, uneasy, I suddenly felt movement on my sleeve.
I looked down.
A small brown bug was crawling up my jacket… heading toward my neck.
In that split second, my childhood flashed before my eyes.
Growing up in face-me-I-face-you, I battled bed bugs. I know them too well.
I slapped it instantly. Crushed it. Rubbed it between my fingers.
Then I lifted my hand to my nose.
ALAS MY PEOPLE… IT WAS THE UNMISTAKABLE SMELL OF A BED BUG.

I didn’t think twice.

I grabbed my bags and ran out of that house into -16°C snow without a winter jacket.
Yes. I chose freezing over infestation.
Outside, it was 10:40pm. Snowstorm. Wind slapping my face. No idea where I was going.
I ran across the street and entered a shawarma store just to escape the cold.
From there, I called an Uber to the nearest Walmart. It was closing at 11pm. I had less than 20 minutes.
I was already paranoid. I felt like bugs were crawling all over me. I needed new clothes immediately.
By pure luck, they let me in at 10:50pm.
I ran to the winter jacket aisle. Grabbed a heavy coat, toque, gloves, winter socks. I didn’t even check prices.
After paying, I took another cab back to Pearson Airport.

That night, I slept on a bench.
Actually, I didn’t sleep.

I emptied my entire bag on the airport floor. I was shaking. I was inspecting every single item. I even considered dumping all my clothes in the trash.
I called the woman who rented the room to me and threatened to report her to Health Canada.
The audacity of this woman…
She said maybe I was the one who brought the bugs.
Imagine that.

Anyway, that was just Day 1.
Four days of hell followed before I finally escaped back to Lagos.
I couldn’t wait to smell Nigerian air again.

(To be continued.)

Very entertaining read indeed! Quite funny too😅
RoyalRoy, Nlfpmod

It's a fake story he couldn't find not a single photo to backed his story...

Sounds like a movie 😁

doggedfighter:
Sounds like a movie 😁

Was like a movie to me as well

Chai. Canadian guy. Sorry for your experience

How did you resolve the part of the bank not blocking your access again following your relocation?

-16 and you Dey complain, lol wetin make we wey Dey run -45 back to back do?

It's part of the package, at least you have heating facilities and cost power

This is how it stands in my location. If I see that -16 sef na just sweater I go wear honestly. Cold wan kill person here but we can’t complain mhem. We are Nigerians we go adapt.

Supastori





Waiting for
Continuation

Make una no dey do this to be continued jo.....are we in some Hollywood nollywood scene?

Nnamdipapa:
So I had the most insane experience last December. Something that still makes my heart race when I remember it.
I was in Nigeria, just jejely making transactions from my foreign accounts, when suddenly all my accounts were blocked on suspicion of fraud. Just like that. No warning.
I called the fraud department at Scotiabank, fully expecting to clear things up in five minutes. After all, I passed every single authentication question. Everything. Then the agent calmly told me I had to appear physically in Canada to verify my account.
I laughed at first. I told him I was in Nigeria. How exactly did he expect me to fly across the Atlantic in the middle of winter just to “verify” myself?
Before I could even process what was happening, my online banking access was shut down completely. These people had already concluded that I should be living in Canada.
That was how my Christmas plans scattered.
I started searching for the cheapest ticket I could find. After hours of looking, I found a United Airlines flight transiting through Dulles Airport in Washington. 11:59pm on Christmas night. About $1,200.
I tried booking with my foreign cards. Nothing went through. My location in Nigeria was now suspicious everywhere. I had to call United directly on the 24th to book manually. Return date: December 30th.
I was pained. Deeply pained.
It would have been my first Christmas in over a decade without snow. No shoveling. No icy wind. Just Lagos vibes. Nigeria sweet, I swear.
But instead, by 7pm Christmas night, I was heading to MMA airport.
We landed at Dulles on the morning of the 26th. As I stood in line for border control, fear gripped me. I was thinking about all the negative things I’ve said about Trump online. I was convinced they would scan my social media and drag me into one interrogation room.
When it got to my turn, the officer asked one simple question and waved me through.
Just like that.

Three-hour layover. Then off to Toronto.
Because of extreme weather warnings in Calgary, I decided not to continue there. We landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto around 8pm.
I had to wait for missing luggage from the next flight. Retrieved it around 9:30pm.

Then I made the mistake of trying to save money.
I searched online and found a room in Etobicoke for $45 per night. In Canada. In December. Red flag, but my mind was on budgeting.

Outside, it was -12°C. Windy. Dark. Brutally cold.
I took a cab to the address.
The moment we pulled up, my spirit dropped.
The house looked abandoned. The street was dead silent. No movement. No life.
I knocked. A groundsman opened and led me inside.
Then I entered the room.

That was when my night turned into a horror movie.
There was another man on the bed beside mine. Unkempt. Dirty. Lying down, staring into his phone and laughing hysterically. Not small laughter. The kind that makes your spine freeze.

Aye mi!

How was I supposed to sleep in the same room with a complete stranger behaving like that?
The room was dark. Only light from the TV and his phone screen. He didn’t greet me. Didn’t acknowledge me. Just kept laughing and scratching himself aggressively.
Outside, snow was falling heavily. Temperature dropping toward -16°C.
And guess what? I didn’t even come with a winter jacket. This trip was never planned.
I told myself I would endure till morning and check into a proper hotel. I dropped my briefcases, brought out my laptop to finish some client work.
Then I saw something.

The guy started scratching himself violently. Almost desperately. Still laughing.
Kilode?!

As I sat there, uneasy, I suddenly felt movement on my sleeve.
I looked down.
A small brown bug was crawling up my jacket… heading toward my neck.
In that split second, my childhood flashed before my eyes.
Growing up in face-me-I-face-you, I battled bed bugs. I know them too well.
I slapped it instantly. Crushed it. Rubbed it between my fingers.
Then I lifted my hand to my nose.
ALAS MY PEOPLE… IT WAS THE UNMISTAKABLE SMELL OF A BED BUG.

I didn’t think twice.

I grabbed my bags and ran out of that house into -16°C snow without a winter jacket.
Yes. I chose freezing over infestation.
Outside, it was 10:40pm. Snowstorm. Wind slapping my face. No idea where I was going.
I ran across the street and entered a shawarma store just to escape the cold.
From there, I called an Uber to the nearest Walmart. It was closing at 11pm. I had less than 20 minutes.
I was already paranoid. I felt like bugs were crawling all over me. I needed new clothes immediately.
By pure luck, they let me in at 10:50pm.
I ran to the winter jacket aisle. Grabbed a heavy coat, toque, gloves, winter socks. I didn’t even check prices.
After paying, I took another cab back to Pearson Airport.

That night, I slept on a bench.
Actually, I didn’t sleep.

I emptied my entire bag on the airport floor. I was shaking. I was inspecting every single item. I even considered dumping all my clothes in the trash.
I called the woman who rented the room to me and threatened to report her to Health Canada.
The audacity of this woman…
She said maybe I was the one who brought the bugs.
Imagine that.

Anyway, that was just Day 1.
Four days of hell followed before I finally escaped back to Lagos.
I couldn’t wait to smell Nigerian air again.

(To be continued.)

I can never relocate from Nigeria.


Nothing can persuade me to leave permanently.

Sounds very illogical, why not spend your scheduled Christmas in Nigeria as planned and go resolve the the bank accounts issues when you return to Canada?, why the anxiety?

Please continue my brother. What happened afterwards?

Those that said the story is fake, how does a real story sound like?
Maybe he has to film every episode to convince all the doubting Thomas.

Hahaha

You know most Nigerians think cold is good because of the extreme heat they been subjected to u til they jam cold. By that time, they will know that is different between water and acid even though both have same appearance.

OkanlawonB:
Sounds very illogical, why not spend your scheduled Christmas in Nigeria as planned and go resolve the the bank accounts issues when you return to Canada?, why the anxiety?

Maybe when he now begs for money to eat, you will know how urgent it might be, do you also know how long he plans to stay or other things he has to do in Nigeria. Circumstances can make such happen!!

You get mind bro, the cold will finish you,

Obaofaba:
I can never relocate from Nigeria.


Nothing can persuade me to leave permanently.

teach me how to develop this courage of yours, i need it i really need it.

One of the rare writers whose next piece you’ll be waiting for.

OkanlawonB:
Sounds very illogical, why not spend your scheduled Christmas in Nigeria as planned and go resolve the the bank accounts issues when you return to Canada?, why the anxiety?

Good qustion.. But anything bank fraud abroad could make one triger from zero to 100 especially when prosecutor gets involved. but this guy story kinda sound somehow but lets enjoy the show.

iF NIGERIA IS A GOOD COUNTRY THEN WHY ARE PEOPLE CHOSOING TO LEAVE ANYTIME TO FACE -16.

Stop complaining
Let's exchange location please.

ogaontop:
Maybe when he now begs for money to eat, you will know how urgent it might be, do you also know how long he plans to stay or other things he has to do in Nigeria. Circumstances can make such happen!!

How come had money to pay his ticket in cash etc and stil able to pay 49 dollars for hotel, he couldnt be broke for 2 weeks of finishing his time in naija but i understnd the anxiety that comes with urgent case of fraud abroad.

Nice story
But people get money sha. Travel to Cana just like that lol

Obaofaba:
I can never relocate from Nigeria.


Nothing can persuade me to leave permanently.

No talk like that uptown is the best place to be. Nigeria don cast.

TheDemola:
Make una no dey do this to be continued jo.....are we in some Hollywood nollywood scene?

Nor vex, I will put the remaining together later today.