28th February, 2018
Paul Iyoghojie
A 25-year old housemaid, Justina Eyo who allegedly stole her employer’s N450,000 cash and jewelries worth N2m and allegedly handed it over to three fraudsters, has been arrested at a hideout at Dolphin Estate area of Ikoyi, Lagos.
A Police source said that the arrest of the suspect, a resident of Obalende Police Barracks was made possible by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Ikoyi Division, Lagos, SP Tijani Mustapha who dispatched a team led by Babashola Afolayan to fish out the suspect following a complaint by her employer, Ngozi Nwoji.
The source said that during investigation, the suspect from Cross Rivers State allegedly confessed to the crime that she stole her employer’s money and jewelries and handed it over to the three men she met inside a vehicle to wash the millions of dollars they claimed they stole from their dead master with a promise to give her a share to start her life.
The suspects allegedly stated: “On the day of the incident, I boarded a cab from Ikoyi to Obalende with three occupants and on our way, one of the men said the box he had in the car boot contains millions of dollars and that he stole the money from his late master.
“And on hearing that, the driver threatened that he was driving his car to the Police Station to hand over the box containing the money to the Police and the man who claimed to be the owner appealed to me to help him to beg the driver not to take the box to the Police.
“I was surprised, immediately I intervened, I did not know how I appeared before a Native Doctor at Constain area of Surulere and he told me to go and bring money to wash the box dollars.
“And as I told the native doctor that I have no money, he commanded me to go and bring my madam’s money and jewelries for him and I went to steal my madam’s N450.000 and packed her jewelries and gave it to the native doctor and he promised to share the dollars with me after he finished washing the money, but I was surprised the herbalist and the three men switched off their phones and refused to give me my share from the dollars.” Police.
The Police described the claims of the suspect as nonsense and charged her before an Igbosere Magistrate Court, Lagos on a two-count charge of felony to wit, stealing.
Police Prosecutor, Cyriacus Osuji informed the Court in charge No L/12/2018 that the offences the accused committed were punishable under sections 411 and 287(7) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime and Senior Magistrate A.T Omoyele granted her bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Omoyele adjourned the case till 21 March, 2018 for mention and ordered that the defendant be kept at the Kirikiri Prison till she fulfilled the bail conditions.