Police detectives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Zone 2 command headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested five suspects, who allegedly stole pharmaceutical products worth about N56million from a company’s warehouse.
A staff of the company, Emmanuel Okechukwu, earlier arrested, led the operatives of the unit in apprehending the four other suspects involved in the alleged crime.
The four other suspects included Ikechukwu Orji, Chisom Azubuke, a staff of the company as well as Uchechukwu Ofoepeka and Goddy Ogobi, who are security guards at the estate where the industry is located.
The Zone 2 Command Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the suspects’ arrest said, “On 10th October, 2016, one Isaac Ugwu, The CEO Peakins Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Plot C, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase, Lagos reported an alleged case of conspiracy and stealing of pharmaceutical products via a petition to The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command Headquarter, Onikan, Lagos, and the The Anti-Kidnapping Unit was directed by the AIG to conduct investigation.
“The petitioner alleged that sometime in the month of October,2016, he caught one of his staff, Emmanuel Okechukwu with a carton of Funbact ‘A’ valued at more than Four Hundred Thousand Naira stolen from his warehouse at the above mentioned address and Emmanuel was arrested for proper investigation.
“During the course of investigation, Emmanuel confessed to the crime and mentioned his accomplices. Upon interrogation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and revealed that the nefarious act has been on since the month of May 2016. It was discovered that about One Hundred and Two cartons of LORNAT DS tablets valued at Thirty-Nine Million Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira, Two Hundred cartons or FUNBACT A valued at Sixteen Million Naira only and Five cartons of PAALAXIN tablets valued at Two Hundred Thousand Naira only, all totaling Fifty-Five Million Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira only(#55,980,000.),have been stolen from the industry so far.”
Adejobi, a deputy superintendent of police added that the suspects had already been arraigned in court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, offence contrary to sections 409 and 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.
The zonal PPRO, however, said that Chief Magistrate Sola Adeoye admitted the suspects to bail in the sum of N1million with two sureties each with landed property at Lekki and Oshodi, respectively.
“The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command Lagos, AIG Abdulmajid Ali, has condemned such cruel act, particularly at this time when many manufacturers are struggling to sustain their businesses. He, therefore, urged industrialists and businessmen and women to carry out security check or test on their intending employees to avoid such wicked criminal act,” he said.
