In the heat of the recent school re-opening, a certain Odilia Naan from Babanki lost over FCFA 1, 500,000, meant for her 'Njangi group' in Bamenda, to ‘money-doublers’.

Odilia, who is the treasurer of ‘Happy Women’, a Bamenda-based meeting group whose major aim is to facilitate the return to school of their children, had withdrawn this amount to be shared on a Saturday afternoon but fell in the hands of 'money-doublers'.

According to her, she was gotten so cheap because she badly needed close to FCFA 2 million for the son who had to pursue studies in China, and other children’s school needs. Her intention was to benefit from the meeting’s savings to reap her own gain.

So, when two men approached her and showed her a portmanteau full of shining bank notes and then washed some sized papers into the same notes, she got excited.

They told her that if she provided FCFA 500,000 it would fetch her FCFA 1,500,000 and that FCFA 1 million will earn FCFA 2,500,000; but that, since she is the one, they would give her an additional FCFA 250,000 in a matter of hours.

She said she rushed to her bank and withdrew FCFA 500,000 to add up to FCFA 2 million in order to earn FCFA 4.5million. All of this was reportedly done behind the husband’s back as she intended to surprise him with the windfall.

When the doublers got the money from her, they prepared a stuffed ‘Sacks-and -motors’ bag and told her that it was fresh banknotes that would get dry within five hours but that if she was in haste, she should put it in the ceiling above her kitchen fireside for two hours. They warned her not to tell anybody until she has her money and could invite her friends only after a successful story.

Since the meeting was starting at 4.00pm, she chose to use the ceiling with high fire under it and timed it on her watch and waited anxiously. After an impatient two-hour-wait, she rushed for the bag; dragged it into the room and keyed the door ready to count her gains. To her dismay, she found pieces of papers and some black stones. She flung the door open and went bananas.

A few minutes later, when her ‘Happy Women’ meeting mates came for them to go to the ‘Njangi’, at their sight, she collapsed and was rushed to the Bamenda General Hospital. She only gained consciousness a few days after when she tried to narrate her ordeal but later sank into a comma again.

Members of the said meeting group are frustrated as they are yet to share their savings, with children already back in school and school fees due.

Odilia’s husband is reportedly traumatised as he is expected to pay the money to the women.