Lagos airport taxi driver returns $2,400 left in the back of his vehicle by passenger

MURTALA Mohammed International Airport taxi driver Olayinka Adeniyi has returned a sum of $2,400 and an international passport left in his car by passenger Dele Ayeni who hired a cab to take him to Ikorodu.

 

Mr Adeniyi, who has worked as the airport for over 15 years is licensed under the Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (Achan). Yesterday, he discovered the items in an envelope on the back seat of his car after returning from Ibese in Ikorodu where he dropped off a passenger.

 

"At about 1.30 am on July 29, I met this passenger on arrival at the international airport, I negotiated with him and we agreed at N6,000 to transport him to his destination at Ikorodu. I returned to the airport immediately I dropped him at his house but no sooner had I arrived and parked my car at the airport, I discovered an envelope had been left behind on the back seat of my car.

 

“I picked the envelope and opened it and what I saw was his international passport. I looked further into the envelope and discovered there was another white envelope inside. I opened the second envelope only to discover that something was wrapped in it. It was dollars in $100 denominations and I counted and they were 24 in number,” Mr Adeniyi said.

 

He added that he reported the items to the officer-on-duty at the airport’s arrival car park and was instructed to drop the parcel at Achan's secretariat. Mr Ayeni said Mr Adeniyi was living testimony to the advantages of taking cab from registered points at airports.

 

 “I arrived Lagos from Cairo on July 29 at about 1.30 am on Monday and as I was coming out of the terminal, I met this polite driver who agreed to take me to my destination at Ikorodu. While on the way, I decided to drop my jacket on the floor of the car to avoid being noticed as an important man sitting in the rear seat of the car.

 

“Immediately we got to my house in Ikorodu I removed my jacket from where I had kept it and also my luggage, without noticing that the envelope in the jacket had dropped on the back seat of the car. Unfortunately, I did not open my luggage to bring out what I had for my family members until after I woke up in the noon and that was when I discovered that the envelope was missing in my jacket,’’ he said.

 

Mr Ayeni said his wife then advised that he should go to the airport to inquire if it had been found. He said due to her encouragement, he got to the airport and went to the car park where he had entered the cab.

 

“This is a living testimony that Nigeria has hope and we are not all bad people. I have started campaigning to people via social media to always patronise airport registered cabs.

 

“I want to thank Achan for having this type of arrangement in Nigerian airports. It is wonderful,” Mr Ayeni said.

 

Olubi Ojo, the chairman of Achan at the airport said: “This is a regular occurrence at this airport. Passengers forget many things such as passports, money and other personal belongings in our cabs.

 

“However, they are very sure of finding them if truly the items are left in any of our cabs. We give regular orientation to drivers on why they should return to the secretariat any item left behind by passengers in their vehicles.”

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