Popular Nigerian journalist and broadcaster, Joey Akpan, has shared a gripping account of how his money was stolen by cleaners at a hotel in Algeria — and how he got it back within 48 hours with the help of the police.
Akpan detailed the incident on his X (formerly Twitter) page, explaining that he had neatly arranged his cash in his hotel room before stepping out for breakfast. He tucked $200 into his jeans pocket while leaving the rest of the money — including $6,000 Algerian dinars and more dollars — on the table. But when he returned nearly two hours later, his room had been cleaned and his cash was gone.
Standing His Ground
The journalist immediately stormed the guest relations desk to report the theft. While the hotel manager initially tried to downplay the incident by asking if his money was merely “missing,” Akpan insisted:
“No. My money isn’t missing. I’m saying, your cleaners just stole my money. I’m making a direct accusation against your cleaners and this hotel.”
Determined to get justice, he refused to back down. CCTV footage was reviewed, the cleaners were interrogated, and his claims were further supported when a colleague confirmed that he indeed had the cash on him.
Police Intervention and Recovery
Later that evening, Akpan was escorted by hotel security to the police headquarters, where — with the help of a translator — his statement was taken in Arabic. To his relief, the police confirmed that the cleaners had confessed and returned his money.
The hotel management later apologized, upgraded him to a luxury suite on the 14th floor, and even offered him free drinks and loyalty program access.
Case Closed
Although the matter was scheduled to proceed to court, Akpan said he chose to drop the case after recovering his funds, expressing gratitude to both the hotel and Algerian police.
“I’m super grateful to my hotel for believing me, and having my back. And for the Algerian police for doing their jobs and getting me my cash back. The officers were super nice to me, hung out and showed me pictures of their cats, and talked music as I got justice in a foreign land,” he wrote.
Akpan’s dramatic ordeal has since sparked conversations online about travel safety, hotel accountability, and the efficiency of law enforcement abroad.