Aba keke rider returns ₦2.04m to trader who forgot it in his tricycle

A tricycle operator at Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia, Emmanuel Obodoezie, has been praised for his honesty after returning ₦2.04 million to a trader who mistakenly left the money in his vehicle on Wednesday.

Obodoezie’s act of integrity earned him admiration from traders in the area, particularly during these tough economic times in Nigeria.

According to Vanguard, Obodoezie shared his experience with journalists, explaining that he had picked up a woman along Powerline Road. She got off near the Free Zone area, a well-known fish market. He said he informed her that the fare was ₦300, but she only gave him ₦250, which he accepted without complaint as she left.

Obodoezie revealed that he did not check the back of his tricycle after she exited, unaware that she had left her bag behind. “Because of the bad roads, my machine was swerving, and the bag fell off the back of my tricycle,” he explained.

People who witnessed the bag fall called out to him, alerting him that something had fallen from his tricycle. “I stopped and thought it must be the bag of the woman I had just dropped off,” he recalled.

Before he stopped, someone had opened the bag, seen the money inside, and attempted to take some. However, Obodoezie quickly intervened, refusing to allow anyone to take the money. He instructed one of the bystanders to hold the money while he went in search of the bag’s owner.

“I went looking for her, and by God’s grace, she was already coming back to search for the tricycle operator who had dropped her off,” Obodoezie said. When he found her, he showed her where he had placed the money for her to retrieve.

The money’s owner, Mrs. Chika Aloysius-Iwu, shared her side of the story, explaining that she had been on her way to the bank with the ₦2.04 million when she accidentally left the bag on the tricycle. “I remembered the money was in the tricycle once I got to my stall, and I immediately went searching for him along the road,” she said.

Aloysius-Iwu eventually saw Obodoezie and waved him down. After confirming she was the woman he had dropped off, Obodoezie led her to the person holding the money. “I can’t express my gratitude enough for this good man. I pray God blesses him and his generations,” she added.

The Chairman of Ariaria T-Line, Emmanuel Njoku, who oversees the area where Aloysius-Iwu’s stall is located, expressed his surprise and admiration for Obodoezie’s honesty. “For someone to do such a good deed in Nigeria today means they fear God and deserve to be blessed,” Njoku said. He called on the government and well-meaning Nigerians to recognize and reward Obodoezie for his virtuous act.