The story of Faiza Abdulkadir, a cleaner whose bank account was mistakenly credited with N4.8 million, but returned it, resonates with the essence of honesty amidst profound social and economic crises and vulnerabilities in Nigeria.
Her story, published in the Daily Trust on August 24. 2025, chronicled the struggles of a poor woman who barely gets the opportunity to eat three square meals daily, but returned the money for the ‘fear of God’ and ‘desire for peace of mind’.
Faiza works at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and survives on a modest monthly salary of N30,000 to cover essentials like food, school fees, healthcare, and other necessities for her aged mother and five children.
Her story is unique, as many individuals in Nigeria face similar economic circumstances, but her act of integrity, despite challenging economic times, has made her a symbol of honesty.
Interestingly, Faiza is a reminder for every other individual out there to live an honest life, regardless of the physical, emotional, and psychological pressures. Daily Trust’s visit to her home, located in Gwange ward, tells a story of a resilient woman who believes in making money through honest means.
Walking into the compound, this reporter saw a makeshift structure of a three-bedroom made from zinc, sitting in a flooded environment.
Showing the reporter around, Faiza said, ‘This is where I live with my mother and children. I sleep in this room, while my mother uses the other room. I’m happy with what Allah has given me. Alhamdullillah!,’ she said.
Faiza explained that she relocated to the old building after being displaced by the September 10, 2024 flood disaster that ravaged Maiduguri.
‘A renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Sheriff Saleh Alhussani, took pity on our condition and sheltered us free here. We don’t pay rent, and our children have access to school,’ she said.
Since the flood washed away everything from their house, Faiza and her children spread mats on the floor to sleep and rest at the end of a tedious day.
‘You can enter the room and see, the challenges are too numerous, but as the saying goes, ‘health is wealth’, I must thank Allah for keeping us healthy,’ she said.
Receiving cash award from Borno Governor’s wife
Abandoned for 10 years
Faiza’s travails started when she found herself in a difficult situation after her husband left to pursue a business in Lagos and did not return. For ten years, she has been left with the burden of raising and caring for their five children all alone.
‘I lived with my husband in Lagos, then Abuja before he relocated me back home. This is his tenth year in Lagos without visiting home. I now have five children to cater for all alone.
‘Life is not easy. Even though he sends me money sometimes, the challenges are just enormous. I thank God for my life,’ she said.
Faiza’s struggle to return N4.8m
Narrating her story on the N4.8 million she suddenly found in her account, ironically, Faiza said she had nothing to feed her family with when she decided to return the money.
I was at work when a man called me from Kebbi State and said he mistakenly sent money to my account. I panicked when I saw that it was N4.8 million because I had never seen such an amount before.
‘He insisted that I should make a quick transfer through a POS operator but I declined. I told him that I would consult my bank the following morning so that the transfer could be done directly to his account.
‘He kept calling and pressuring me to send him the money. I told him to be patient, that as a Muslim who knows the implications of taking what doesn’t belong to me, his money is in safe hands.
‘What he didn’t know was, I look up to the reward hereafter more than keeping his money. If I eat that money, it can lead me into hellfire,’ she said
Faiza said she went to the bank as early as possible to make the transfer when another call from the man came in, still pleading with her to transfer the money.
‘I connected him with customer care. They asked him several questions and became convinced he was the owner of the money before it was transferred into the same account.
‘I felt relieved when they debited the money from my account because the issue had kept me busy for three days without eating, but the man kept disturbing me, saying that he had not seen the alert.
‘He insisted that I should return to the bank and link him up with the customer care unit, which I did, but he kept pestering me.
‘He called the following morning, saying he still had not received the money, and I had to return to the bank. At one point, I became angry and asked my elder brother to step into the matter.
‘On the last day, I was at the bank until 4pm. The bank staff were very furious with his attitude. One of them asked him to stop pushing me around, knowing fully well that his money had been transferred,’ she said.
When asked if the man had given her something or called to tell her when he received the money, she said, ‘Yes, he called and informed me that he finally received the alert, but claimed that he still had a N10,000 balance in my account.
‘This man called me twice, telling me that I should keep the N10,000 balance. God knows that we transferred the entire amount to him, except for the bank charges, which he must bear, not me.
‘I warned him not to call me again. He should sort it with the bank because not a penny has been left in my bank account.
‘I did all that for the fear of God, not him. If not, I spent a lot of money on transportation and my precious time. In fact, I had no money to even feed myself when I was struggling to get to the bank to return his money,’ she said.
Reward for honesty
Following media reports of her rare and inspiring display of integrity, Faiza received praise and support from individuals across the country.
One of the individuals who appreciated the honesty of Faiza is the First Lady of Borno State, Dr Falmata Babagana Zulum, who presented Faiza with a cash gift of N1 million to support her family.
At a special event organised in her honour, Mrs Zulum said she was pleased that a person of such caliber was a woman from Borno State.
‘I presented her with N1 million to support her family. She should be a role model for all men and women in Borno State,’ she said.
Also, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Zuwaira Gambo, announced additional support in the form of vocational equipment and food items for her.
‘Her action, especially given her financial challenges, is a rare and inspiring display of integrity, which shows that honesty is not determined by wealth but character,’ said Gambo.
Another good Samaritan who did not want his name mentioned donated N2.5 million to Faiza, describing her honesty as a rare quality that people should emulate.
Presenting the N2.5m cheque, the president of Da’awah Wal Irshaad Women Organisation, Borno State, Aisha Muhammad Aisami, said the philanthropist read the story in Daily Trust Newspaper and reached out to the organization to find the woman and reward her.
‘We, therefore, present this cheque of N2.5m to Faiza Abdulkadir, on behalf of our donor, who saw what she did. Daily Trust newspaper carried the story, and it’s widely spread. He is not from Borno State; he only read the story and sent the donations through us.
‘May Allah SWT make her steadfast in what she did and reward the donor and all those who donated to her,’ she said.
Responding, Faiza thanked the donor and the Da’awa organisation that facilitated the donation, while calling on people to fear God and stick to the boundaries.
‘If you fear God, anything that doesn’t belong to you would not attract you. We should always prepare for eternal life, hereafter, not to be deceived by the worldly gains that are temporary,’ she said.
God provided me a home – Faiza
Faiza, who expressed profound gratitude for the support she received from people across the country, said God has miraculously answered her prayers.
‘It feels like a dream because people kept calling and sending me gifts. I was overwhelmed by the number of donations I received from people.
‘It’s always been my dream to own a house, and Allah SWT has answered my prayers. I want to thank you people for amplifying my story and the donors for changing my life,’ Faiza said when asked what she plans to do with the donations.