{"id":14943,"date":"2025-09-07T08:10:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/?p=14943"},"modified":"2025-09-07T08:10:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T08:10:35","slug":"a-true-life-story-of-betrayal-in-pursuit-of-masters-degree-sold-off-nigerian-properties-deceived-by-best-friend-to-relocate-to-united-kingdom-chased-out-of-apartment-sleep-in-cold-homeles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/a-true-life-story-of-betrayal-in-pursuit-of-masters-degree-sold-off-nigerian-properties-deceived-by-best-friend-to-relocate-to-united-kingdom-chased-out-of-apartment-sleep-in-cold-homeles\/","title":{"rendered":"A TRUE-Life Story of BETRAYAL in pursuit of Master\u2019s Degree: Sold Off Nigerian Properties, Deceived by Best Friend to Relocate to United Kingdom, chased out of Apartment, Sleep in Cold Homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
*Childhood friend\u2019s attitude in Britain changed after a week\u2019s stay<\/strong>
*Sexually harassed by some Nigerian men to whom she sought shelter, forced out to sleep outside while snowing<\/strong>
*Remembered how Dad warned her to consolidate on her success in Nigeria<\/strong>
*\u201cI Went from having my own well-furnished two-bedroom apartment in Enugu State, Nigeria, with an SUV car and good job to sleeping on benches in the UK. If only I knew, I would not have relocated Overseas. It\u2019s a dark place. When I got here, I started chasing after buses and sleeping outside. It really made me sad. I had completed two degrees in Nigeria and was looking to open a preschool or cr\u00e8che of myself as an entrepreneur. I had always wanted to work in the educational sector. My best friend lied that she was married in the UK, which I hadn\u2019t known before. She also said her husband would be coming to join her in the UK in two weeks\u2019 time, so I needed to leave her house\u201d<\/span>–<\/strong>Nneoma, suffering asthma recount ordeal in tears <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

*BY ETHEL AMAEFULA\/FOREIGN Reporter, London, NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER Inc USA<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Her name is Nneoma. She is 29 years old. She had a good job, a car, and her own two-bedroom apartment in Enugu State. She was saving up to open a school of her own, but instead chose to use the money to pursue a Master\u2019s degree abroad, after been convinced by a friend to do so. In this story, she shares her experience of betrayal, heartbreak, and homelessness in the United Kingdom, UK.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD:<\/em><\/strong> Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>*NNEOMA: I live in the UK, and I left Nigeria in 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: <\/em><\/strong>What inspired you to leave?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: I had completed two degrees in Nigeria and was looking to open a preschool or cr\u00e8che. I had always wanted to work in the educational sector. I had saved up a little money for it, but my market survey showed it wasn\u2019t enough capital for what I wanted to do. So, I decided to go abroad for a Master\u2019s degree. I planned to work there for a few years and then save enough to return to Nigeria and open the school.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: Did you get a scholarship?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: No. I paid my tuition and all other expenses. I initially wanted to travel to Denmark, but a friend who lived in the UK told me it was cheaper there than in Denmark, so I chose the UK. But I ended up in a dark place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: What happened?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: I was paying for all my travel expenses and tuition myself, so I didn\u2019t have enough money for rent, and I didn\u2019t know anyone in the UK. I shared these concerns with my best friend, Betty, who encouraged me to choose the UK, and she offered to house me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>She said I could stay for three months so I would have time to find a job and then rent my own place. That was what really spurred me to leave Nigeria.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When I got there, she welcomed me well. But I only stayed with her for about a week before her attitude towards me changed. It was bad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>She told me she was married, which I hadn\u2019t known before. She also said her husband would be coming to join her in the UK in two weeks\u2019 time, so I needed to leave her house.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I was shocked. She hadn\u2019t told me any of this when I was in Nigeria. I wouldn\u2019t have even made the mistake of leaving Nigeria for the UK, where I didn\u2019t know anybody except her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t kick me out or tell me directly to leave, but the attitude she gave me made it clear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: What did you do?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: I reached out to friends and family. My dad hadn\u2019t supported my decision to leave Nigeria, so he wasn\u2019t helping me financially. But my mum and a friend in Nigeria sent me \u20a6300,000 each, which I used to rent an apartment. But I still had an accommodation problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: What was the problem?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: My school and Betty\u2019s apartment were in two different cities. While I was staying with Betty, I applied for jobs in her city and got a job as a career. But I rented an apartment near my school with the money my mum and friend sent me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The apartment was an eight-bedroom shared flat. We were all Nigerians and Ghanaians living there. But the town was more like a village, so there weren\u2019t really any jobs there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I had already used Betty\u2019s postcode on my job application. I really needed the job because I needed money, so I didn\u2019t tell them I no longer had accommodation in their city.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The job I got is what they call \u201cdomiciliary care.\u201d That means instead of working in a care home, you go to the patients\u2019 own houses to care for them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>It was difficult jumping buses all day, and when the buses came late or I missed them, I had to walk or run. I also got a second job as a mail sorter. I worked the night shift there, sorting mail.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: How did you manage going back and forth between the cities?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: It was very difficult. The transportation costs were too expensive for my financial situation at the time. So, I didn\u2019t return to my apartment on the days I worked.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>While I attended lectures, I stayed at my apartment from Monday to Thursday. On Thursday morning, after lectures, I made the journey to the city where I worked to start my caring shift at 2:00 p.m. I finished at 9:00 p.m., then headed to my second job as a mail sorter to start my shift there at 10:00 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>My shift ended at 6:00 a.m., so I would run to the bus station to use the restroom there. I wash my armpits and my face, then rush to resume my caring shift at 7:00 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>On the nights I didn\u2019t have a night shift at my sorting job, I slept outside.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: I\u2019m so sorry to hear that! How did that happen?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: There were many of us who did this. After work, we would go to the bus station and sleep on the long benches there. The sleep was barely enough, though, because the bus station closes at 12:00 a.m. and we were expected to leave by 11:50.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>So, we would all leave the bus station and head to this open space where people could set up tents and sleep. That was how we did it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: That must have been difficult. You had no one to assist you?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: Through some other Nigerians I met, I was introduced to Kola. \u00a0He lived in a different town, but it was only about a 25-minute drive from my work, and he agreed to let me stay with him on the days I was working. I only stayed with him for two days. The second day was a very horrible experience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: As such, what then happened afterwards?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: He started pressuring me to have sex with him, saying he was giving me free shelter, and I needed to pay him back. He said it was the least I could do to repay his kindness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I refused, and he left the apartment that night to go to work. He had a night shift.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Around 2:00 a.m., he called my phone. By the time I got up to answer, it had stopped ringing. But then he sent me a text message. It read:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI know you\u2019re looking forward to something like this. Please take all your belongings and leave my apartment. You have been ungrateful to me. You can leave before I come back, or you can wait for me to drop you off at either bus or train station. I will not slave myself for someone who doesn\u2019t have sympathy. Just pack your stuff and leave right now. I do not want to see you in my house again.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, I left his house to go sleep outside while it was snowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: I\u2019m sorry you had to go through that.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: I was in a really dark place mentally. I felt alone and my ex-boyfriend only made things worse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: Were you in a relationship?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: You were in a relationship?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. I had a boyfriend, Peter*.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When we were living in Nigeria, he travelled often on business to places like Turkey, Indonesia, and other Asian countries. But he had never been to the UK. When I told him about my plan to travel, he said he would like to come with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Our relationship was pretty serious. My parents knew about us, and we had the whole thing planned out-how our lives would be in the UK. But his attitude changed almost instantly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>My visa came out first, so I went ahead. On the day I arrived in the UK, when I got to Betty\u2019s place, I immediately went to have a shower. I missed his call while I was in the shower, but when I came out, I called him back straight away.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When he answered, he said, \u201cOh, you neva even reach UK, you don dey buga. How many times should I call you before you pick up my call?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I was shocked, but I tried not to think too much of it. That was how the whole issue started, and I think it just escalated into hatred. I tried to understand that he was frustrated because his visa was denied and he had to reapply.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>He started misbehaving-talking to me rudely, transferring his aggression-and I wasn\u2019t really having it. I was already getting an attitude from Betty, and now I am getting it from him too. It really affected our communication.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>It was a hard time for me. I felt alone, still trying to adjust to this new environment in the UK. I didn\u2019t have any emotional support. It was mentally draining. And I was asthmatic, so I kept having episodes. I had to go to the hospital. I told my mum to let him know I was in the hospital. She did. He promised her he would call me back, but he didn\u2019t. I told my mum to tell him that if he didn\u2019t call me back, I would kill myself. It was that bad. And even after hearing that, he didn\u2019t call me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

*NAIJA STANDARD: What else happened?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*NNEOMA: He knew I was sleeping outdoors. I told him about my situation and how the guys who offered help were asking for sexual favours. I didn\u2019t directly ask him for money, but I dropped hints.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>There was a time he said he would send me money for an Airbnb, but he never did. I\u2019m a very shy person when it comes to things like that, so I couldn\u2019t bring myself to remind him about the money he\u2019d promised.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>For about three months, we had no contact. Then, out of the blue, he called to say he\u2019d finally gotten his visa and was coming to the UK.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>When he arrived, we met. He apologised and offered to get an apartment for us. I told him I had already moved past that. I said I would rather sleep outdoors in my tent. I told him I didn\u2019t hold any ill will towards him, that I wished him well, but I didn\u2019t want to be in a relationship with him anymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>He went back to Nigeria about three months later. He said the UK didn\u2019t suit him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>*NAIJA STANDARD: Could you compare your life in the UK with your life in Nigeria? <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In Nigeria, I had a two-bedroom apartment, a car, and a job as a marketing manager for a real estate company in Enugu. My life wasn\u2019t perfect, but it was okay. I had my friends around me, and I had a stable, happy life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>And then when I got here, I started chasing after buses and sleeping outside. It really made me sad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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