The people who handle your business are often the ones you trust the most. Which is why the betrayal feels shocking when things go wrong.
We asked some Nigerian employers about the craziest and most unexpected things they’ve experienced at the hands of employees, and they had stories for days.
“My staff rented out my office BQ” — Doreen*, 49
In 2022, I noticed a strange man walking around my company’s property. When I asked who he was looking for, he casually told me he lived there. I was confused because nobody was supposed to be living on the premises.
After further inquiry, I found out my admin officer had connived with some staff to turn the unused BQ into a short-stay apartment. They furnished it with a mattress and collected money from guests without my knowledge. It had been going on for over a year, but I only found out because one guest ignored their instructions to use the back gate.
Meanwhile, I was the one paying millions in rent for the property.
“He kept having sex in my office” — Joseph*, 37
I run a logistics company, and one morning last November, I walked into my office and found a used condom in my workspace. I was disgusted and asked questions.
That’s how I discovered that a senior employee had spent the night with a woman in the office. At first, he denied it, but eventually confessed and begged for forgiveness. I let it go, but asked security to keep an eye on him.
A few weeks later, he did the same thing. This time, he tried to justify it by saying his wife was pregnant and that he couldn’t afford hotels. That was the end of his job.
“She built her business by stealing from me” — Amara*, 57
I knew a female church member who begged for money because her husband couldn’t provide. I felt sorry and hired her to help manage my warehouse, where I sell biscuits and drinks in bulk. I paid her well and sometimes gave her products for her children.
Over time, I noticed cartons went missing during deliveries. They were small numbers, so I blamed the suppliers or delivery workers and absorbed the losses.
After more than two years working for me, the woman suddenly stopped showing up. I later discovered she had opened her own shop selling the same products. That was when everything clicked. I realised she’d most likely been stealing from me for a long time to build her own business. I couldn’t prove it, so I’ve left it to God.
“My driver used my car for Uber” — Gbolahan*, 46
I hired a driver in 2024 to take my children to and from school. Almost immediately, I noticed I was spending an unreasonable amount on fuel. When I complained, he blamed a faulty fuel pump, and the mechanic confirmed there was an issue, so I set my suspicions aside.
Still, the expenses never made sense. I started filling the tank myself, thinking he had been pocketing the money I sent him, but my fuel never lasted.
This went on for four months until my gateman revealed the truth. The driver had been using my car for Uber and delivery jobs. He even encouraged the gateman to learn to drive so they could hustle together.
“She gave my relative STI’s and disappeared” — Tolu*, 38
I hired a nanny in her 20s to help with my children. Around the same time, a distant male relative moved in with us while he settled in Lagos. A few weeks after he moved out, he came by one evening. I heard shouting downstairs, ran down, and found him pinning my nanny against the wall. He claimed she’d infected him with multiple STIs.
That was when I found out they’d been sleeping together the whole time. I was shocked because I’d assumed she was naïve. She denied having any infections, so my husband and I calmed the situation and asked her to get tested the next morning.
By the time we woke up, she had disappeared. She packed overnight and ran away. This happened in 2018, and I still can’t get over how insane it was.
“He tried to steal my contract” — Tunde*, 27
I got a contract job from a foreign company, but outsourced most of the work because I was juggling multiple projects.
We agreed on payment, and things ran smoothly for months until the client sent me screenshots. The guy I’d hired had messaged them directly, claiming he did the work and asking them to give him the contract instead.
They didn’t give it to him, but the situation damaged my relationship with the company, and I lost the gig anyway. When I confronted him, he blocked me.
“My cleaner was eating my children’s lunch” — Aishat*, 29
I hired a woman to clean my house and walk my children to school because I leave for work very early. A few weeks in, my three-year-old started complaining of hunger at school. It didn’t make sense because I always packed enough food for both children.
Things only became clear when their teacher called to ask why my children kept coming to school with half-empty lunch packs. That was when I realised the nanny had been eating their food before taking them to school. I couldn’t understand why, because I always left lunch for her. When I confronted her, she denied everything and even tried blaming my toddler.
“She sent me drunken insults at midnight” — Sharon*, 36
I own a salon. Earlier this year, I woke up to multiple voice notes from one of my braiders on Instagram. I opened them immediately, thinking it was an emergency. Instead, they were filled with vicious insults and curses.
By the next morning, she had unsent everything. When I confronted her, she denied it until I showed her my replies and missed calls.
She eventually broke down and blamed it on alcohol and relationship problems, but I couldn’t move past the things she said.
“She started Ajo with my money” — Damilola*, 34
I hired a salesgirl for my clothing store last year. She was polite and hardworking, so over time I came to trust her completely and barely visited the shop.
Last month, she said she couldn’t come in because of a family emergency, so I opened the store myself. While I was there, the woman handling ajo contributions stopped by to collect her daily ₦2k payment and mentioned that my employee usually took the money directly from my cash drawer.
When I confronted her, she claimed the money came from her aunt. The same aunt denied it. Still, I gave her another chance because she’s struggling financially.
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