Winning $50M lottery ticket lost, returned to owners

Imagine winning $50 million from the lottery and then realizing you lost the ticket. Well, one Canadian couple had to live through that nightmare.

CTV reports Hakeem Nosiru was only one day away from claiming his massive prize when his ticket went missing after he attended church.

Out of concern the ticket might get lost, he even had his wife, Abiola, tape it to the inside of her purse. Nevertheless, it still managed to vanish.

They searched for months with no luck. She told the Toronto Sun, "I couldn't sleep for days, I couldn't eat. I was devastated."

Then, on what was probably their best April Fool's Day ever, Daily Mirror reports the ticket was returned to the couple by a man who had found it at their church.

The National Post reports the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation had to conduct an investigation to verify the authenticity of the ticket.

After the OLG was satisfied there was no funny business, the Nosirus happily received their long-awaited winnings and offered this advice to other lottery winners.

"Anybody that wins the ticket, please keep your ticket in a safe place and watch it all night."

That's definitely sound advice. The Nosirus say they want to use the money to relax with their four children and five grandchildren.