Liberian teen mocked and threatened by friends for returning lost $50,000 to owner

A Liberian adolescent motorbike taxi driver who found and returned some missing money to a notable businesswoman says people are mocking and threatening him.

After hearing Musu Yancy, the owner, make a radio appeal, Emmanuel Tuloe, 18, returned the $50,000 (£37,000) cash he found.

Tuloe, who dropped out of school in the seventh grade, makes a living by riding a motorbike taxi.

When his motorbike taxi breaks down on the highway, his pals make fun of him, telling him that he shouldn’t have returned the money.

“They tell me I will never get rich in my lifetime, they say because I returned such an amount of money I will live and die poor,” he told the BBC.

Before hearing Ms Yancy’s radio appeal, Tuloe scooped up the money that was wrapped in a plastic bag and brought it to his aunt for safekeeping.

The rider was given money and other gifts by the businesswoman, including a mattress, which he plans to give to his grandma.

Tuloe claimed he was intimidated when at Ms Yancy’s house for a celebration.

“I left and returned home because in the crowd were also people who were angry with me for returning the money, they even threatened me, and so right now I need maximum protection,” he told the BBC from his hometown of Gbolor Dialla on the border with Ivory Coast.

Only a few friends, he claims, appreciate and applaud him for his honesty. However, he has largely overcome the bullying and the inclination to regret his actions.

Because they “don’t know what the future holds,” Tuloe is pushing fellow bikers to always return lost and recovered belongings.

The Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission also says it is “deeply touched by the sincerity of the teenager”.

Source: Richard Mensah Adonu | Join our Telegram Group

Author