Nigerian Lady Returns ₦2 Million Mistakenly Credited to Her Account, Rejects ₦20,000 Reward

A Nigerian businesswoman, Titilola Damilola, has earned widespread praise after returning nearly ₦2 million that was mistakenly transferred into her account.

Damilola shared the incident on her Facebook page, revealing that the money came at a time when she was struggling financially and praying for a breakthrough to clear her newly arrived goods.

“Last week, I didn’t have shingbain (nothing) in my account and I needed to clear some goods. I was praying for a miracle,” she wrote.

That “miracle” seemed to arrive when she woke up to see a ₦2 million credit alert through Lemfi, an international money transfer platform. At first, she thought it might have come from a customer planning to make a bulk purchase. However, hours passed without any message, receipt, or confirmation.

After confirming that the funds were not connected to any business transaction, she called her sister to ask if the money came from her. Shortly after, one of her regular customers reached out, explaining that her husband had accidentally sent the money to Damilola’s account.

Without hesitation, she verified the claim and returned the full amount. Even when she was offered ₦20,000 as a token of appreciation, she declined the reward.

“She insisted I keep ₦20,000 for stress. I politely declined because the money wasn’t mine,” Damilola said.

She went on to advise Nigerians to always do what is right, stressing that whatever people put into the world eventually returns to them, whether good or bad.

The incident has drawn comparisons to a similar story involving Faiza Abdulkadir, a cleaner at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Borno State, who returned ₦4.8 million that was mistakenly credited to her account.

Faiza, who earns ₦30,000 monthly while caring for five children and her elderly mother, explained her decision by saying:

“If you fear God, anything that does not belong to you would not attract you. We should always prepare for the hereafter and not be deceived by temporary worldly gains.”

Her honesty was later rewarded with ₦2.5 million from an anonymous donor, along with an additional ₦1 million, food items, and vocational tools presented by Dr. Falmata Babagana Zulum, the First Lady of Borno State, on behalf of the government.