The katsina A man who takes the roof off his house to sell it and rescue his son from kidnappers says some people have turned their plight into a business venture.
Saidu Faskari praised Nigerians for coming to their aid after a PREMIUM TIMES story, but said people should stop sending money on their behalf because “the goal has been achieved.”
He spoke through his neighbor, Ibrahim Bawa, who has been receiving donations on his behalf.
Bawa said the story published by PREMIUM TIMES received “a great response and we are happy with what it has done, but we need to make some clarifications.”
He said that after Mr. Saidu’s son was rescued, several people sent money through his account (Mr. Bawa’s) that will now be used to help the old man.
“We don’t want to turn it into something else. I personally posted the video because I have no money to help the man and he is my neighbor. So, I posted it to get people’s attention.
Some of the roofing sheets removed from Mr. Faskari
“People have responded and we are happy, but some evil people are using that video and the man’s photo to fool people. I want to use this medium to ask the general public to ignore any post seeking a contribution for Malam Saidu.
“While we appreciate what everyone has done, we want to make sure they don’t bastardize. The man is living his quiet life and wants to continue like this. In fact, we are surprised by the level of response we have obtained and we want to thank everyone for coming to the rescue of the man, ”he said.
Facebook post of alleged fraudulent fundraiser
He said someone posted the details of an account on Facebook and is said to have collected more than N200,000 for the man, but did not contact the family.
“We do not want your money or what you have collected, we just want you to fear God and give up taking advantage of the miseries of others. No one should send money to anyone on behalf of Malam Saidu anymore, ”said Mr. Bawa, who is a local journalist.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the old man was seen removing his roof while raising money to rescue his son from the kidnappers.
They had asked for a ransom of N100,000 from the man for the release of his son.
The local government of Faskari is one of the front-line areas in the state for bandit attacks. The area was among the 13 where Governor Aminu Masari closed the mobile telecommunications network as part of efforts to reduce insecurity.
