Lagos withholds viral amputee hawker’s N25million donation after detecting lies in her claim.
The Lagos State Government has withheld the donations made to amputee hawker, Mary Daniel, after discovering that she ”lied” about her condition.
Mary, who went viral while selling water in Oshodi, was discovered by kind hearted Nigerians after her story was shared on social media.
The single mother claimed she lost a leg in an accident that killed all passengers, including her parents, when she was a teenager.
She added that life became hard and she dropped out of school to fend for herself by selling on the street.
She said during an interview that she is an orphan with a baby and an aged grandmother to fend for.
Her story touched Nigerians and well-meaning people made donations which totaled 25 Million Naira.
This prompted the Lagos state government to step in to prevent criminals from taking advantage of her sudden fortune.
However, the state government has now discovered inconsistencies in her story, The Nation reports.
It was discovered that her father is alive and that she was amputated from birth, not as a result of an accident.
It was also learnt that Mary Daniel started receiving strange calls from those who staged her story with threats to reveal the truth unless she gave them their share of the money.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu immediately handed her over to officials of the social welfare for investigation in the presence of the police and some Kogi leaders, who attested her father was alive, following revelations her case was staged.
Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu told The Nation the young woman was in the custody of officials of the Social Welfare and not the police as earlier reported.
