A magistrate court in Ilesa, Osun State has directed Rhoda Adu to compensate her boyfriend, Olapitan Sola, with ₦150,000 for failing to visit him despite receiving ₦3,000 for transportation.
The case arose when Sola transferred ₦3,000 to Rhoda to facilitate her trip to visit him.
Despite promising to meet, Rhoda reportedly turned off her phone and failed to appear.
Feeling betrayed and emotionally distressed, Sola reported the matter to the Ayeso Police Station, leading to Rhoda’s subsequent arrest and arraignment in court.
During the trial, Sola provided evidence to support his claims, including a record of the mobile money transfer and screenshots of their WhatsApp conversations.
The evidence detailed the agreement between the two, which Rhoda failed to honor.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate Akogun Oludare ruled in favor of Sola, describing Rhoda’s actions as deceitful and a breach of agreement.
The court ordered Rhoda to refund the ₦3,000 she received, pay ₦100,000 as compensation for breaching the agreement, and an additional ₦50,000 as special damages for the emotional distress caused to Sola.
The Magistrate highlighted that the punishment aims to discourage others from engaging in similar dishonest actions in the future.
“This court does not condone dishonesty and manipulation,” Magistrate Oludare stated.
The court ruling has generated extensive debate, with many seeing it as a cautionary tale against abusing relationships and assuming that financial support will always be available.