Two domestic workers, Alex Obinyan and Ayuba Samson, have been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing jewellery worth N243m in the Lekki area of the state.
It was gathered that Obinyan, a cleaner, and Samson, a car washer, allegedly stole a Cuban diamond neck chain as well as Frank Muller and Rolex wristwatches worth N243m belonging to their boss, who is a celebrity, and fled to Borno State.
It was learnt that the duo were arrested after selling the neck chain and Frank Muller wristwatch for N6m and N4m, respectively in Lagos and Abuja.
Obinyan, who reportedly earned N80,000 monthly, had spent over eight years working with the celebrity, whose identity the police did not disclose, while Ayuba, who earned N50,000 monthly, started working two months ago.
According to the police, the suspects and the buyers of the jewellery were brought to the RRS headquarters by the decoy team of the agency after an eight-day investigation in Abuja and Borno State.
The RRS stated that the suspects, who were captured on CCTV leaving the celebrity’s residence, had confessed to stealing the Cuban diamond chain worth N54m, the Frank Moller wristwatch worth N140m, and the Rolex wristwatch worth N49m.
Narrating how they stole the jewellery in his confessional statement to the police, Obinyan said, “I have been working with him in Lekki for over eight years. I am used to moving those valuables around the house whenever I found them in his car. I have never thought of stealing them.
“When Samson came and he saw me with the diamond encrusted gold chain, he convinced me that we could make a fortune from stealing them. He was not with us before. Within two months of his stay, we planned to steal these things.
“The boss was in the sitting room when we stole the chain along with the Frank Moller and Rolex wristwatches and before escaping; we already got a buyer for the chain. We sold the Cuban diamond chain in Eti-Osa, Lagos, for N6m.
“The following day, we escaped to Abuja, where we bought a Toyota Corolla, and we sold the Frank Moller watch in Abuja for N4m to raise more money for our escape to Borno State, where we planned to start new lives and businesses.”
However, Obinyan, in a letter he left for his boss while departing his apartment, stated that the celebrity was not someone he could rely on.
The letter read in part, “I know you will be shocked why I write to you but the truth is that due to some quite observations, I have come to a notice that you are not a person that someone can rely on. I have been patient enough to see if you can help me but you keep on promising me up to (sic) now there is no avail (sic).
“To cut the story short, I have decided to stop working for you, and I am sorry to mention that but you have to bear with me. I have gone for good because I cannot continue to work for a person that does not care about (sic) me and does not value me for the rest of my life.”
According to the police, the suspects were arrested in Maiduguri in the two-bedroom apartment they rented alongside the buyers of the items, Haruna Abdullahi and Abubakar Buhari.
Recovered from them were the Rolex wristwatch, two brand new tricycles, a Toyota Corolla car and the sum of $2,200.
The suspects had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the RRS Commander, DCP Olatunji Disu, urged Lagos residents to always conduct background checks on their domestic workers before employing them.
