A Chronicle of Unusual Financial Disappearances
Nigeria has faced a series of bizarre incidents involving animals allegedly consuming or destroying large sums of money or financial documents. These unusual explanations for missing funds have sparked public outrage, mockery, and skepticism, highlighting deeper issues of financial accountability and corruption in the country.
In February 2018, a clerk at the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) office in Benue State claimed that a snake had swallowed 36 million naira (approximately $100,000) from the vault. This incident, which involved proceeds from the sale of scratch cards, led to the clerk’s suspension and became the subject of widespread ridicule.
Also in February 2018, Senator Shehu Sani reported that 70 million naira belonging to the Northern Senators Forum had allegedly been swallowed by monkeys at Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s farm. This claim emerged after Senator Adamu was removed as chairman of the forum over accusations of misusing funds.
In 2019, a finance officer at the Kano Zoological Gardens claimed that a gorilla had sneaked into an office, stolen, and swallowed 6.8 million naira. The zoo’s management later denied this story, stating that the money had actually been stolen by burglars.
Most recently, in August 2022, termites were alleged to have eaten documents of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) containing expenditure details worth 17.1 billion naira. This claim was made when NSITF management appeared before the Senate Public Accounts Committee to explain transfers totaling 17.158 billion naira made in 2013.
These incidents share several similarities: they all involve animals being blamed for the disappearance of significant sums of money or important financial documents, they occurred in government institutions or among political figures, and they were met with public skepticism and mockery. The recurring nature of these explanations suggests a pattern of using increasingly implausible stories to account for missing funds, highlighting the ongoing challenges Nigeria faces in combating corruption and ensuring financial transparency in public institutions.
Citations:
- https://culturecustodian.com/4-times-animals-were-accused-of-swallowing-funds-by-politicians/
- https://www.legit.ng/nigeria/1486540-termites-snake-animals-accused-swallowing-money/
- https://theconversation.com/snakes-and-monkeys-are-getting-the-blame-for-corruption-in-nigeria-92779
- https://saharareporters.com/2022/08/29/snake-monkey-and-termites-how-much-money-wildlife-consume-nigeria-matthew-ma
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43030827
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43030827
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRv9ncl7OJU
- https://sentientmedia.org/conservation-or-culture-the-fight-for-nigerias-future/
