A Point of Sale (PoS) operator, Mohammed Sani Abdulrahman of the Kurna Asabe area in Kano metropolis, made headlines when he was rewarded with N500,000 by a businessman who mistakenly transferred N10 million to him instead of N10,000. The incident was reported to the police in December 2023, but it took operatives of the Kano State command three months to conclude investigations and eventually found the owner of the money recently. Abdulrahman spoke to Daily Trust Saturday on what motivated him to return the money despite the biting economic situation in the country.

You returned N10 million mistakenly sent to your account; how did it happen?

If I remember correctly, on December 21, 2023, a customer came to my shop to withdraw N10,000. He did the transfer and I gave him the cash. After we closed for the day and conducted our daily audit, we noticed that we had almost N10m in excess  (N9,990,000). We tried to understand how this happened and who sent such a large amount without our knowledge. We intensified investigation to determine exactly how it happened. By the end of the day, we realised that the person who wanted to send N10,000 mistakenly sent the excess amount. Since we didn’t know him, we had no way to track him down. After explaining the situation to my neighbours, we decided to reach out to the nearest police post in Kwakwachi. Upon arriving there and explaining the situation, they referred us to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), stating that it was beyond their jurisdiction.

I didn’t receive any call from anyone claiming the excess money, but fortunately, on March 13, 2024, I received a call from the state CID, saying they had traced the owner and I should come to the station. Upon reaching there, I even recognised his face. He is my customer who frequently makes transactions at my shop. The police completed the necessary procedures and I was taken to the commissioner of police. Later, I transferred his remaining balance into his account.

Did you get anything in return?

Yes, of course. The man gave me N500,000 in cash. He also confirmed that he hadn’t noticed the excess amount in the transfer until he received a call from the police. It was after the call that he realised his mistake.

Did you get any other gift or form of gratification?

Not at all. No one else has contacted me, asides you. As far as I am concerned, my reward comes from God. However, if anyone offers me something, I will accept it.

What motivated you to return the money?

I believe that any money that doesn’t belong to me shouldn’t be used by me. No matter what, I had to find the owner and return it to them. Life is not just about this world; there is also an afterlife (in the hereafter), and we will be judged accordingly.

My motivation stemmed from the fear of God. I don’t want to use what doesn’t belong to me. Additionally, you know there are lots of criminal activities happening these days, so I didn’t know if the money was obtained illegally or if it was meant for some other criminal purpose; hence so I felt obligated to report it to the police.

Has something similar happened to you in the past?

Yes, I had a similar experience in the past, but the amount was only N100,000. Someone sent it to me and I didn’t know him. I waited for the owner to come and claim it, but nobody came. Four days later, I received a call from the police, asking me to come and explain how I received the money as they suspected that it was obtained illegally. Thankfully, I went with my lawyer, and we were able to sort out the situation.

How did you feel keeping the money with you before you got the owner?

It caused me a lot of anxiety. The first night, I couldn’t sleep because of the money. It was a huge amount for me, and I didn’t even have close to that amount myself. So, it was not easy.

How much do you make on a daily basis?

I make more than N5,000 daily because I have many customers. In a day, I can have over 100 different transactions. So, Alhamdulillah, I am doing well.

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