FIJ
Owning an iPhone in Nigeria might be a luxury, but it can also put you in trouble. This is the story of Ake Victor (real name withheld), a Nigerian based in the United Kingdom (UK).
Victor told FIJ that he purchased a used iPhone XR from TheElects, a Lagos-based company that sells used and new smartphones, laptops and accessories.
FIJ understands that Victor bought the phone for N235,000 in July 2020, long before he relocated to the UK. While Victor was trying to re-sell the phone to Buyur Limited, a technology company in the UK, four years after the purchase, the phone was flagged red, meaning it had either been previously reported lost or stolen.
The implication is that the phone could be impounded and then possibly returned to the actual owner, with Victor having no choice but to bear the financial loss.
“I got this phone in 2020 from TheElects store in Lagos. After four years, I got a new phone and I tried reselling my phone to a refurbished phone company in the UK because I had relocated, only for me to realise that the phone didn’t pass the security check and had been reported stolen and missing since March 11, 2020,” Victor explained to FIJ.
According to the policy of Buyur Limited, the status of every mobile phone they receive has to be checked against the National CheckMEND database, which helps certify any used device with a background history check.
A copy of the search result from the CheckMEND database sighted by FIJ shows the following: “Currently blocked: The device has been reported lost or stolen to a phone network and will not function on some networks.”
Because of its policy regarding flagged phones, Buyur Limited emailed Victor on March 11, saying the company would not be able to return the device until the issue was resolved.
Victor was instructed to contact CheckMEND, as well as the Nigerian company that sold the phone to him, “to discuss the restrictions on the device” as part of the requirements to resolve the dispute.
