Photographer Arrested for Resigning His Job Via Text Message, Spends 10 month in Prison

• Peter Nicholas, a 26-year-old graduate, endured a 10-month imprisonment at Keffi Correctional Centre after resigning from his job via text message
• His resignation followed a series of events, including a better job offer and dissatisfaction with his current pay
• Nicholas’s story sheds light on the severe consequences of employment disputes and the challenges faced by young professionals

Peter Nicholas, a 26-year-old graduate of Mass Communication from Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, found himself in an unexpected and unfortunate situation after securing a job with an Abuja-based photography studio owned by a businessman.

What began as a promising career quickly turned into a 10-month ordeal at Keffi Correctional Centre following his resignation via text message.

Nicholas narrated his journey into photography, saying, “It was a Reverend Father who helped me discover my skills. He paid for a one-year training course at a photography studio here in Abuja, where I mastered the craft of photography.”

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His employment with the studio came about unexpectedly too:

“There was a time I went to his office to sell a camera lens owned by a friend. That day, he mentioned that he needed a good photographer and photo editor and I presented myself. He took me through a series of photography tests and loved the outcomes. He offered me the job, although without an official letter. He put me on probation for six months and started paying me N70,000 monthly, with the promise of a raise once I was confirmed. I only stayed less than three months at the firm before I tendered my resignation.”

The decision to resign was driven by a better offer and dissatisfaction with his current pay:

“I got a better offer elsewhere and informed him but he expressed displeasure because he wanted me to work and train others, especially as I had the editing skills required for the job. He wasn’t happy about my short notice. I had to leave because what he was paying me wasn’t enough. When I wasn’t working for him, my freelance jobs were sufficient to secure an apartment and feed myself.”

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Arrested after sending text message

Nicholas admitted that resigning via text message was a mistake.

“I admit that was a mistake on my part. However, since I wasn’t given an employment letter, I didn’t see the need to write a resignation letter. Moreover, I wasn’t the first person; he didn’t give anyone an employment letter.”

The situation escalated when Nicholas was accused of insulting Oluwole in his resignation text.

“The message I sent on 10 October 2023 stated that I was no longer interested in working with him. To further explain my reason for resigning, I sent another text on October 14, advising him to learn leadership and management skills because of how he humiliated a colleague who collected N125,000 from a client into his personal account since the customer couldn’t pay into the company’s account. The colleague was arrested, molested by the police, and eventually taken to their station despite reimbursing the company. After that, I lost interest in working at his studio. No staff member had ever stayed there for more than three months, though the customers weren’t aware. On October 15, he had me arrested for insulting him.”

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Nicholas’s ordeal continued as he struggled to secure bail. “My parents don’t live in Abuja. They are from Benue State but live in Akwa Ibom, and I didn’t call them when I was arrested. I thought it was something that would be resolved that day. However, I was detained and later charged at the Upper Area Court in Mpape, Abuja, where I was granted bail of N100,000, which was later reduced to N50,000. Despite making several calls, I couldn’t raise the funds and was eventually taken to prison, where I spent 10 months.”

Arrested for taking police pictures

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a young man anonymously disclosed that police arrested him because he took photographs of officers on duty with his mobile gadgets.

The first question to tackle in this situation will be what can be termed as an offence.

Source: Legit.ng