The Nigerian Air Force on Thursday promoted an Aircraftman, Bashir Umar, to the rank of Corporal, for returning the sum of 37,000 euros found in a parcel at the Hajj Camp Market in Kano State to the owner.
Umar, who is a member of the NAF Mobile Air Defence Team, told the Punch Newspaper that what crossed his mind when he picked the money at the market was how to locate the owner and return the money.
He added that he did not open the brown envelope parcel to check the contents, before contacting the owner.
Umar, who was deployed for airport security duties, had found the parcel on Tuesday, July 16, during a routine patrol with some of his colleagues.
The newly promoted corporal, however, returned the money, which is said to belong to one Alhaji Ahmad, after calling a phone number on the parcel.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, had said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the NAF Chief of Administration to “immediately come up with modalities to reward the airman.”
On Thursday, Umar was decorated at the NAF Headquarters, Abuja, in company with his parents, by the air chief, who urged him to continue to be upright.
Umar, a 23-year-old from Adamawa State, speaking with the Punch after his decoration, said, “We were on an evening patrol on that day. I decided to return the money because I feel I should not take what does not belong to me.
“I am happy, although many people later scolded me. On that day, I did not open the brown envelope. I did not check the contents.
The first thing that came to my mind as I picked the envelope was the thought of finding the owner and returning the parcel.
“I found the name and phone number on the parcel and what I did was simply to call that number.”
Earlier, the air chief, Abubakar, said, “We have found Umar to be a very rare non-commissioned officer.”
