We Hold Your Brief

TOBI SONIYI

Dear Counsel, Please, your advice is needed on this. I participated in the ‘Save and Win’ promo, organised by Dante Savings and Loans Limited. I was issued a raffle ticket and the draw date was stated as February 24, 2018; the results were to be published in newspapers.

I was away in the village on the draw day, for my father- in-law’s burial. I had forgotten about the raffle draw on my return to Lagos, because I was not contacted about winning.

It was an old friend I ran into, that drew my attention to it recently, when he congratulated me on winning the 3rd consolation prize of N250,000. I didn’t know of this.

The next day I went to their office, only to be told that I could no longer collect my prize, because they had returned it to their Head Office. I went to their Head Office in Victoria Island, where I was told to forget the money, as they had returned it to their treasury for future raffle draws.

I actually created a scene in their office, until someone advised me to seek legal advice and redress.

What should I do? Kindly, advice me, because I feel cheated. H. Egbuh, Makoko, Lagos. Dear Mr. Egbuh, Given the provisions in the National Lottery Act, I doubt whether you have any good grounds to seek to claim the money.

Although, you did not state in your mail whether the draws were published in the newspapers, the onus lay on you to check the newspapers, as advertised.

However, the National Lottery Act, 2005 provides for unclaimed prizes in Section 31 (1-5). Specifically, Section 31(3) provides that a lottery operator, is at liberty to exercise discretion to retain any unclaimed prizes, after a period of 180 days, while Section 31(4) gives the lottery operator the discretion of whether to pay the prize or not, after 180 days. You did not state how many days after the draw day, that you went to claim your prize. Maybe it was on this basis, that they may have retained your prize money.

However, I would advice that you get your Lawyer, to investigate whether they made the publication, as advertised. If they did not, that may provide you with a window, through which you can pursue this complaint legally.