In 2024, when Mba Lemmy (real name withheld) a US-based Nigerian, decided to send N2,829,200 to Mercy Melanie Adeoye, a personal shopper in Lagos, he never thought anything could go wrong.
After all, he had known Adeoye for over a decade as a friend. He told FIJ that he needed a specific type of necklace design and reached out to her, knowing she was a personal shopper.
The only item Lemmy wanted to get originally was a 20-inch, 20-gram Cuban tape. With Adeoye confirming that her regular vendor in Yaba had it and even sending him pictures of the necklace, they both agreed on the price.
Lemmy sent N1,660,000 to Adeoye’s First Bank account on January 27, 2024. Out of this sum, the cost of the necklace was N1,520,000 and the delivery fee was N90,000. N50,000 was his token of appreciation to his friend.
Mercy Melanie Adeoye
N1,660,000 on January 27.
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According to Lemmy, Adeoye was to buy the jewellery on January 29, and delivery would take five to seven days. However, when the day arrived, Adeoye sent him a voice note, claiming the seller lost his mum and his store wasn’t open.
“So, we had to wait as she insisted she didn’t want to buy from anyone else she couldn’t vouch for. About three days after, she informed me that the price of gold had shot up, and we both agreed to wait, hoping the price would come down,” Lemmy told FIJ.
WhatsApp chats between the duo showed Adeoye updating Lemmy about the fluctuating price of gold. While both friends were hoping for the price of gold to reduce, Lemmy added more items to the jewellery.
Some of the chats between Adeoye and Lemmy.
Some of the chats between Adeoye and Lemmy.
Some of the chats between Adeoye and Lemmy.
He wanted to buy teddy earrings, teddy pendant, bitcoin hand chain, three traditional caps and two bottles of blended traditional herbal mixture.
By the time Adeoye gave him the cost breakdown of all of these additional items between February and July coupled with the rise in the price of gold, he had to send a total of N1,169,200.
He sent N50,000 on February 9, N419,200 on April 2 and N700,000 on July 18.
N50,000 on February 9.
N419,200 on April 2.
N700,000 on July 18.
Mercy Melanie Adeoye
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FIJ gathered that Adeoye did not provide a specific delivery date during these months, as the process kept being delayed.
At some point, she claimed her WhatsApp was hanging, her power bank had exploded, and later mentioned she had been in an accident and needed time to recover.
On July 24, Adeoye said she had collected the bracelet, pendant and earrings but could not pick up the necklace because she had mistakenly quoted the wrong weight. Later, she said that the seller had travelled to Dubai, hadn’t left the necklace behind and wouldn’t return until August 6.
Then on August 18, Lemmy proposed that Adeoye sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalise a delivery date for the items in the US, but she avoided signing it.
“Up until today, I have not received any of the items or a refund. I have had three contacts visit Nigeria and she had come up with excuses for not being able to deliver [the items]. I have offered to have people go to her to pick them up but she evaded. I have sent addresses for drop off as well,” Lemmy stated.
Frustrated by the lack of response from Adeoye, Lemmy reached out to Charles Adeoye, the personal shopper’s brother, in October. He told the brother that he would involve the police, and Charles had appealed to him to exercise patience.
While providing him with feedback, Charles told him that his sister said the jewellery seller had not been around but would be available by the middle of November.
Lemmy said Charles had even told him that he could take legal action against his sister if she failed to deliver the items that month. Despite the assurances, the items were not delivered.
Charles would still ask him to hold on a little bit, adding that Adeoye would reach out to him soon, but she didn’t. Efforts to get the brother to resolve the matter amicably proved abortive.
Lemmy said he involved the police in the matter and incurred an additional N500,000 expense in a bid to get the items he paid for or a refund. This avenue did not yield the desired results.
“On January 8, I sent her my account details to issue a refund, but she has refused to acknowledge, respond or pick up my call!” he said.
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Adeoye could not be reached for comments as her Instagram page was locked. She has also not responded to the WhatsApp message and email FIJ sent to her on Wednesday.
Her Instagram page
FIJ contacted Charles via WhatsApp on Wednesday and he responded. He confirmed that he was aware of the pending business between Lemmy and his sister.
“I intervened on the issue at a point in time,” he said.
“Though, I am not sure lately what the situation about the delivery of the said items has been because that was our conclusion initially. I would have to ask her and revert back to you on what their conclusion has been as well as what she intends to do about either a refund or delivery.”
Later on Wednesday, he told FIJ that he had tried reaching his sister but her number had been off. He said he would get back when he reached her.
At the time of publication, there was no feedback.
The post Personal Shopper Mercy Melanie Adeoye Yet to Deliver N2.8m Jewellery, Items to US-Based Friend 6 Months Later appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.