The Alert

The alert came in at exactly 2:17am.

₦50,000,000.00

At first, I thought I was dreaming.

Because the last time I checked my account balance, it was ₦1,842.

I even rubbed my eyes and checked again.

Same thing.

₦50 million.

My chest tightened.

“Omo… wetin be this?”

I refreshed the app.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Still there.

No mistake.

No reversal.

Just money sitting quietly in my account like it had always belonged to me.

I sat up on my bed, staring at the screen like it would disappear if I blinked.

My room was silent.

Too silent.

Even the fan sef sounded louder than usual.

I checked the sender’s name.

Nothing.

No description.

No company name.

No “salary”.

No “transfer”.

Just blank.

That was when fear entered small.

Because in this Lagos…

Money no dey just fall from heaven.

Unless something is wrong.

Or…

Something is coming.

I didn’t sleep again.

How could I?

Every sound from outside made my heart jump.

A car passing.

A dog barking.

Even my neighbor coughing felt suspicious.

By 5am, I was still awake.

Just staring at my phone like a mad person.

Then one thought entered my head.

“What if nobody is looking for it?”

I sat up properly.

Thinking.

Calculating.

Heart beating.

Because truth be told…

I was tired.

Tired of checking my account and seeing nothing.

Tired of promising my mum “soon”.

Tired of surviving instead of living.

So I made a decision.

A stupid one.

But at that moment…

It felt right.

By 9am, I was at the ATM.

I inserted my card.

My hand was slightly shaking.

I typed ₦20,000.

Then I paused.

“Why ₦20k?” I whispered.

If this money is real…

Then let me test it properly.

I cleared it.

Typed ₦200,000.

Withdraw.

The machine processed it.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe.

Then—

💵 Cash.

Complete.

No error.

No restriction.

Nothing.

I stepped back slowly.

Looking around.

Nobody cared.

Nobody was watching me.

That was when something changed inside me.

Fear reduced.

Confidence entered.

“Omo… this one don be blessing.”

By afternoon, I had already:

• Sent money to my mum
• Paid my rent
• Cleared some debts
• Even dashed my guy ₦50k

For the first time in my life…

I felt like I had control.

Like life finally remembered me.

Like I mattered.

That was my biggest mistake.

Because by 6:43pm…

My phone rang.

Unknown number.

I stared at it.

Something in my chest shifted.

Slowly, I picked it up.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was calm.

Too calm.

“You’ve started spending the money already… haven’t you?”

My throat went dry instantly.

“Who… who is this?”

A soft chuckle.

Cold.

“That money you’re enjoying…”

Pause.

“…wasn’t sent to you by mistake.”

Silence filled my room.

My fingers tightened around the phone.

My heart was pounding hard now.

“What do you mean?”

Another pause.

Then—

“You were chosen.”