Port Harcourt residents have raised the alarm about the trend of one-chance robbers targeting young people with a view to emptying their accounts and getting loans through their digital banks.
A prominent X user, Hillz, with her X handle, @ officialSommie41 started the conversation after announcing her alleged ordeal at the hands of robbers cum kidnappers.
Hillz narrated her horrible experience that occurred on the evening of Wednesday, July 8, 2026, while commuting home within the Port Harcourt metropolis.
According to the victim, the armed captors seized all personal belongings and held her under duress to gain full control of her mobile banking infrastructure.
The criminals successfully wiped out ₦2 million meticulously saved for an upcoming rent payment due this week, and drained her primary bank accounts also.
One-chance and fintech loan trap
In a deeply disturbing escalation of modern kidnapping tactics, the perpetrators did not stop at stealing existing balances.
They allegedly manipulated the victim’s installed financial technology (fintech) applications, specifically utilising OPay and FairMoney interfaces, to apply for and instantly secure digital loans totalling ₦3 million (₦1.5 million from each platform), according to the victim.
The funds were instantly routed out of the victim’s profiles into untraceable mule accounts before she was finally set free, leaving her not only entirely destitute but heavily indebted to aggressive digital lenders.
Faced with a ruined credit profile and no immediate access to locked primary bank accounts, the traumatised survivor took to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to appeal for public assistance, dropping an associate’s verified guarantee trust bank account to crowdsource survival funds.
Fintech fiasco: A rising trend
Some X users went to Hillz’s comment section to report that they had either also experienced the same thing or heard that the same thing happened to someone they knew.
A commenter wrote, “Jesus, where and how??? This thing is now happening too frequently in this Port Harcourt.
Uche Mary wrote: “The same thing happened to my brother last month in P.H. What’s going on?”
Another one said a similar incident happened to her cousin while commuting in broad daylight in Port Harcourt.
Virtually all the referenced victims are young people with digital banking apps on their phones.
Vile netizens spark cyber backlash
While a vast majority of digital citizens rushed to offer condolences and express absolute horror at the sophisticated robbery, the post exposed a dark, toxic underbelly of contemporary Nigerian internet culture.
A segment of online users reacted with extreme malice, accusing the victim of clout-chasing or executing a pre-planned script. The alleged victim had apparently been very vocal in support of her favourite on a recent reality show that polarised Port Harcourt youths.
Some brought up the issue of Hillz’s past writings on the microblogging site and her harsh comments against those competing against her fave in the reality show.
Shockingly, some comments crossed into explicit physical malice.
An account identified as Ophelia7932 wrote, “They should’ve whooped you and removed one of ur eyes idiot,” while another user, FavourObiv6, coldly stated, “You deserve it.” Other sceptics compared the harrowing testimony to fictional internet skits, with one user questioning, “Na Danboskid script be dis or what?”
Advocacy groups focusing on digital safety and psychological support have strongly condemned the victim-blaming behaviour, noting that public apathy only discourages survivors of violent crimes from reporting incidents to the proper quarters.
Security agencies have repeatedly warned Port Harcourt residents to employ strict biometric locks on all financial applications and avoid late-night solo commutes as tech-savvy syndicates continue to leverage instant-loan apps to maximise profits from abductions.
Read Also: Mob beats up three people accused of running one-chance operation in Port Harcourt (video)
