The upgrade was carried out on a Mercedes-Benz GLK 2010 model, as the artisan said the unresolved debt has left him struggling for two years.
An artisan in Anambra State, Mr. Edwin Emeka Okeke, has cried out for justice after claiming that a senior police officer has refused to pay him the balance of ₦810,000 for an upgrade job he completed on her car nearly two years ago.
The auto technician, appealed to the officer, identified as Mrs Chinwe, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of the Harbor Police Division at Bridgehead, Ogbaru, to pay him the outstanding balance for the upgrade.
The upgrade was carried out on a Mercedes-Benz GLK 2010 model, as the artisan said the unresolved debt has left him struggling for two years.
Speaking to SaharaReporters in an interview, Okeke recounted his ordeal with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.
He said the situation has pushed him to the point where he is willing to completely reverse the upgrade just to move on with his life.
“I have pleaded, I have begged. For two years now, this issue has held me down,” he said. “All I am asking for is the balance of ₦810,000 for a job I completed and delivered. I am not asking for anything extra.”
Okeke explained that the police officer initially engaged him to upgrade the vehicle to a newer model at a total cost of ₦1,310,000.
According to him, the customer made a part payment of ₦500,000, with a promise to settle the balance upon completion.
“I told him clearly what the job would cost. She agreed and paid ₦500,000 first. I completed the upgrade and delivered the vehicle as promised,” he recounted. “But since then, she has refused to pay the remaining ₦810,000 despite all my appeals.”
Okeke told SaharaReporters that the prolonged wait for the owed amount has caused him financial hardship, affecting both his business and family responsibilities.
“This money is my sweat. I used my materials, my time, my skill. Today, I am the one suffering for doing my job faithfully,” he said.
In a gesture he described as “painful but necessary,” Okeke said he is even willing to reverse the entire upgrade if the client is dissatisfied.
“If she is not satisfied with the job, I am ready— magnanimously — to remove all the materials I used and return the car to its former state,” he said.
“I will even refund the ₦500,000 she paid. I just want peace.”
Despite his willingness to go to such lengths, Okeke emphasized that what he truly wants is simply the payment for the completed service.
“My only demand is that she pays me the outstanding ₦810,000. That is all,” he said quietly.
As Nigeria grapples with rising economic hardship, Okeke’s story reflects the struggles of countless artisans who depend on timely payments to survive. For him, the unresolved debt is not just a business dispute—it's a burden he carries every day.
“I don't want trouble with anyone,” he said. “I just want what I worked for.”
Efforts by SaharaReporters to speak with Mrs Chinwe were unsuccessful as she did not take her calls. As at the time of filing this report she had yet to respond to a text message seeking her reaction.