Woman returns N330M mistakenly credited to her bank account
In an extraordinary act of honesty, a Nigerian woman named Aisha Isah Yelwa has returned the sum of N330 million that was mistakenly credited to her bank account.
Mrs. Yelwa, a small-scale trader residing in Lapai, Niger State, disclosed that she noticed the unexpected balance in her First Bank account around 3:49 p.m. on Monday, December 29, 2025.
Woman explains how she saw the alert
She explained that the discovery occurred shortly after she had complained to the bank about repeated deductions linked to loans she had previously taken to support her business.
According to her, she was simply checking her account to see if the issue with the debits had been resolved when she suddenly saw an amount far beyond anything she had ever possessed.
She stated that there was no credit alert, no transaction description, and no clear indication of where the money came from.
“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.
Woman visits bank to report
Mrs. Yelwa said she did not immediately raise the alarm until Tuesday morning, when she visited the Lapai branch of First Bank to officially report the irregularity.
She noted that the branch manager praised her honesty after confirming that the funds resulted from a system malfunction and promptly initiated the reversal process.
Despite her decision, she revealed that some members of the public criticized her, questioning why she chose to return the money instead of keeping it.
To safeguard herself legally, she said she went to the bank accompanied by a lawyer to ensure the entire process was properly documented.
She added that the bank assured her she would not be held responsible for the error and would only be contacted if further clarification became necessary.
Speaking on how the incident made her feel, Mrs. Yelwa said she was satisfied with her choice, describing it as a decision rooted in integrity and concern for her children’s future.
“I feel good returning the money. I am a mother, and my children’s future means more to me than anything,” she told Lapai TV. “Even with all my financial challenges, I don’t want to eat what does not belong to me,” she added.
