I Was Mocked And Tagged 'Stupid' - Security Man Who Returned Bag Containing Dollar Notes

Achi Daniel, a junior security guard at Halogen Securities Limited who returned a bag containing dollars, jewellery, wristwatches and other documents that he found at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Saturday, has revealed that some of his friends mocked him for his honesty.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Thursday during a ceremony held to honour him and his supervisor, Francis Emepueaku, Achi said it was not his first time returning lost money in the course of discharging his duty.

The security company also rewarded the duo: Daniel and Francis with education scholarships and the sum of N250,000.

He explained that he was never overwhelmed by the contents of the bag and vowed to do same if he finds himself in a similar situation in future.

He also told journalists that he was not discouraged by those who mocked him, stating that his Christian background aided his character.

He said: “If the money was in multi-millions of foreign currencies, I would still have returned it. I saw the bag on a trolley and I said to myself that somebody must have forgotten it there. It was not padlocked and without opening it, I went to the ground floor with the bag to meet with my supervisor.

“Inside the bag, I saw a mobile phone, jewellery and a huge amount of dollars, as well as several other documents. At that point, we went straight to the manager’s office, who then put a call through to somebody in Atlanta, Georgia, who happened to be the daughter of the owner of the bag.

“When they returned, they were jittery that some of the items in the bag may have vanished, but after crosschecking it, she discovered that everything was intact. The family attempted to give us some money as a form of appreciation, which we rejected, as we told them we were doing our job.

“It never crossed my mind to steal the money and I wouldn’t have done that because it wasn’t my first time of finding such and returning to the owners. No amount of money would make me to take what doesn’t belong to me. I believe my own time will come and at the right time.”

He urged other Nigerians to emulate his character, insisting that it pays to be good.

Source: Sahara Reporters