A Liberian man identified as Tamba Lamine was reported to have drowned after jumping from a bridge into a river in Monrovia, in an attempt to fetch a $20 note that he had mistakenly dropped.
The Police spokesman, Moses Carter explained that Lamine was walking with a friend on the bridge when the $20 note fell into the river.
Carter said that the Liberian man who happened to be a street hawker immediately dived into the water to fetch the money. After finding it, he showed it to the onlookers but then drowned.
“He felt pressured to get the cash back because he needed to give his friend his $5 ‘share’ of some merchandise they jointly sold,” Carter revealed.
According to the Police’s report, Lamine’s body is yet to be found.
He drowned in the Mesuradu River, which runs between mainland Monrovia and the industrial district of Bushrod Island.
While speaking, Carter said onlookers who saw Lamine dive thought he was safe after he emerged from the water to show them the note, but he then disappeared and did not resurface.
The United States dollar is a stronger currency than Liberia’s own dollar – $20 equates to around 3,900 Liberian dollars.
