by Rachel Ogbu

A woman claims that the pension money she withdrew from a second generation bank mysteriously turned to pieces of newspapers after she alighted from a commercial taxi in Calabar, Cross River State.

The 24-year-old woman who did not release her name to reporters said the money was for the upkeep of her ailing father.

Narrating her ordeal to Vanguard, she said the bank was situated at Murtala Muhammed Highway, Calabar Road and there she successfully withdrew N70, 000.00 and wrapped it in a black cellophane bag before boarding a taxi.

She said the taxi already had four passengers behind and one in front and she was asked by the driver to squeeze into the front seat.

The passenger, a man who was already in the front seat came down for her to go in.

“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,” she reportedly said.

“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.”

She decided to check her bag only to discover that her father’s pension money had turned to pieces of paper.

According to reports, 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.

She said she would not dare tell her ailing father about the incident for fear that he might drop dead so decided to borrow the money from a friend instead.