N70,000 Pension Mysteriously Turns To Paper In Calabar

A 24-year-old woman withdrew his father’s pension from a second generation bank in order to cater for his upkeep as he lies ill, but the money mysteriously turned to pieces of newspapers after she alighted from a cab in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The woman said she had gone to the bank located at Murtala Muhammed Highway, Calabar Road, to withdraw N70,000.00 but later discovered to her surprise that the money which she wrapped in a black cellophane bag before boarding a taxi had turned to pieces of paper, Vanguard reports.

Still in shock and total disbelief, the lady narrated the incident to policemen on duty and concerned commuters amidst tears. She said after making the withdrawal she boarded the taxi to Watt Market to buy some items.

She said she flagged a taxi with four passengers at the back seat and one in front, and she was asked by the driver to squeeze herself in at the front seat.

As she was about to enter the front seat, a male in front came down for her to go in. Not suspecting anything, she entered and sat close to the driver, while the male passenger entered and sat by the door.

“When I got in, the other man followed and was telling me to adjust. The driver, in pretext of helping me to sit well kept pulling my left hand that held the black polythene bag containing the money.

“In a short while, the driver said there was no space for me, that I should alight. Moments after I alighted, after the car had zoomed off, I experienced coldness when I realised that the polythene bag was now lighter”

The woman further said to clear her doubt, she reached for the bag only to discover that her father’s pension had turned to pieces of paper.

She said she immediately stopped another taxi to go after the earlier one and when she could not catch up with it, she stopped and reported the matter to policemen.

The lady told Vanguard that she was afraid of telling her ailing father what happened, saying it may kill him.

She has now borrowed money from her friend so that her father wouldn’t notice anything had gone wrong.

Police could not be reached for immediate comment, but a security expert in Calabar who heard of the incident said the lady gave police little or nothing to work with. “If she got the number of the car, that would have counted for something,” he said.