Nigerian Woman Returns N$330 Million Mistakenly Credited to Her Bank Account

Nigerian Woman Returns N$330 Million Mistakenly Credited to Her Bank Account – A Nigerian petty trader from Lapai, Niger State, has earned widespread admiration after voluntarily returning N$330 million that was mistakenly credited to her bank account.

The woman, identified as Mrs Aisha Isah Yelwa, said she noticed the unusual balance in her First Bank account at around 3:49pm on Monday, December 29, 2025, while checking whether an earlier issue involving repeated loan-related debits had been resolved.

Mrs Yelwa explained that she had previously taken loans to sustain her small business and had lodged complaints with the bank after noticing persistent deductions from her account.

While following up on the matter, she was shocked to discover an amount she had never handled in her life.

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According to her, there was no credit alert, no narration and no indication of the source of the funds, which raised immediate concern.

“In order to be sure it wasn’t a display error, I made a transaction of N1 million from the account, and there was still no credit alert. That was when I became more confused and worried,” she told Lapai TV.

She said she remained silent until Tuesday morning, when she visited the Lapai branch of First Bank to formally report the anomaly.

Upon investigation, the branch manager confirmed that the funds had been credited due to a system error and immediately initiated a reversal, while commending her honesty.

To protect herself legally, Mrs Yelwa said she went to the bank accompanied by a lawyer to ensure that the process was properly documented.

“The bank assured me that I have no liability and that I will only be contacted if further clarification is needed,” she said.

Despite her integrity, she revealed that some members of the public criticised her decision, questioning why she returned the money instead of keeping it.

Reflecting on the incident, Mrs Yelwa said she felt fulfilled doing the right thing, stressing that her children’s future mattered more than any amount of money.

“I feel good returning the money. I am a mother, and my children’s future means more to me than anything,” she said. “Even with all my financial challenges, I don’t want to eat what does not belong to me.”

The incident has sparked widespread discussion across Lapai and beyond, with many describing her actions as a rare example of honesty in difficult economic times.