There was an intense uproar in Osogbo, Osun State, on Monday after food was nowhere to be found, despite the collection of millions of naira from residents as upfront payment for the supply of food items.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the vendor lured his victims by selling food items to residents at giveaway prices, selling a 50kg bag of rice for N27,000, 25 litres of cooking oil for N30,000 and a pack of spaghetti for N10,000.

It was gathered that the alleged fraudulent operation required the customers to pay in advance and return about a week later to collect their packages,

However, the bubble burst on Monday when customers met the business premises at Odi-Olowo in the state capital under lock and key, and all efforts to contact the operator proved abortive, with their phone numbers reportedly switched off.

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When news of the food vendor's disappearance filtered into town, angry customers besieged the premises, lamenting their losses.

The mood was charged and sorrowful as a large crowd milled around the locked shop. Some victims, mostly women, were seen crying and lamenting their fate, while others sat on the pavement arguing in groups, with a few still expressing hope that the shop owner would return and reopen.

Speaking about the development, a victim who identified herself as Bola said she paid N765,000 for bags of rice, cooking oil, spaghetti, and other food items.

Her words: "I paid last Wednesday because the price was too cheap to ignore, and I was to come on Wednesday for the collection, only to be told on the phone by Tola that this shop was locked.

Another victim, Mr Tunde Kolapo, who said he mobilised family members to patronise the vendor, described the incident as a well-planned fraud.

"I paid ₦135,000 for five bags of rice. I even introduced my sister and my neighbour because I thought it was genuine. Now the owner has run away with our money. This is wickedness."

But a community leader, Chief Ajagbe Oladunjoye, who said he has no sympathy for the victim, retorted that they should expect what happened to them.

According to him, past experiences had shown that the inevitable would happen, adding that whoever was looking for unusually cheap things should be ready to face the consequences that would follow.