From: Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

The police, in Oyo State, have arrested a houseboy, Matthew Kudjo, a 25-year-old Beninoise, in Ibadan, for allegedly stealing USD59,000 and another N3.4 million cash both in foreign and local currencies from his master’s apartment in Ikolaba Area of the state capital.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Abiodun Odude, who paraded Kudjo, with other 20 armed robbery and kidnapping suspects, three house breaking and stealing suspects and another four suspects for stealing, said the houseboy had built a house from the money he stole from his master and he was arrested at the point of him traveling abroad.

The police boss told journalists at Eleyele, in Ibadan, on Thursday, that the suspect: “on December 12, 2016 betrayed the trust and confidence reposed in him by his benevolent master by breaking into the latter’s apartment in Ikolaba area of Ibadan, where he stole the sum of 59,000USD and N3,400,000 cash in local and foreign currencies.”

Odude noted that after the houseboy purportedly carried out the criminal act, “he perfected sinister plans to abscond abroad with the loot. But through intensive investigation coupled with high level intelligence carried out by the special squad, the suspect was nabbed before he could escape to the United States of America, having procured an international passport, a U.S visa and other travel documents with which to travel out of the country.”

The houseboy, however, told journalists during a brief interview that he discovered the money in his master’s apartment when he wanted to switch off the air conditioner, saying he took the money and built a house for himself in Benin Republic and put some portion of the loot in his bank account.

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His words: “It is true that I entered my oga’s room to take the money. On that day, I was the only one at home. My oga and every other person had gone out. So, I wanted to go and switch off the air conditioner. As I was going, I saw that the door of my oga’s room was opened. So, I entered and I saw the money. I took the money, and I built my house in Benin Republic. I put some in my bank account. And I planned to travel to the United States before I was arrested. The N1.5million I saved in my bank account was recovered by the police.”

Items recovered from the houseboy are N1.5million cash, one international passport and other travel documents.

Odude also disclosed that the command on March 18, 2017, arrested a gang of four armed robbery suspects allegedly responsible for snatching of exotic cars from their owners at gunpoint in Ibadan, Lagos, Ogun and other parts of the country. A total of eight exotic vehicles were recovered from the gang.

Also, paraded were five armed robbery suspects, comprising three females that had purportedly terrorised Ogbere, Amuloko and other parts of Ibadan. A female member, a 45-year-old Folasade Adediran, who introduced herself as a tailor, was said to be the gang’s armourer.  She said: “I keep the guns for the gang and they usually give me N3,000 for whenever they wanted to keep the guns with me.” Two locally made pistols, 15 cartridges and one phone.

The Commissioner of Police also paraded eight suspects for armed robbery and kidnapping. They were said to have invaded Lam Adesina Estate, Ajoda New Town, New Ife Road, Ibadan on February 11, 2017.