The police in Lagos State have arrested a
27-year-old housemaid, Mariam Acheme, and four others for allegedly
robbing the housemaid’s boss.
According to police authorities, the
housemaid, invited her boyfriend, Dansu Akokran, and another person at
large to rob her boss and also stage her own kidnap.
The Police Public Relations Officer of
the state command, Ngozi Braide, said, “On November 26, 2012, the
housemaid invited her boyfriend to her boss’ house when the madam had
gone out. On getting to the house, the boyfriend and another person
ransacked the entire house.
“They vandalised the doors and also stole
all the valuables. The housemaid then padlocked the gate from outside
and fled with them.”
It was learnt that when the
owner of the house arrived, she discovered that all her valuables were
gone and Acheme was nowhere to be found.
The victim was said to have immediately reported the matter to the Bode Thomas Police Division.
Braide said a few days later, someone
contacted the housemaid’s boss and informed her that Acheme had been
kidnapped. She said the woman returned to the police and informed them
of the development.
Braide said, “The madam told the police
that some men called and said they had kidnapped the housemaid. The men
asked for N5m and said if the money was not paid, they would not release
her. The housemaid spoke to her ‘madam’ on the phone, crying and
telling her that she was being tortured by the kidnappers and urged her
boss to pay the ransom immediately.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Bode
Ojajuni, immediately swung into action. Detectives at the station were
able to establish contact with the kidnappers and urged them to collect
N1m. The kidnappers then sent a bank account number which the money
should be paid into.”
It was learnt that the account number belonged to one Prosper Tatou, a bricklayer.
Through the bank account number, policemen traced the owner to Agbara area of Ogun State and accosted him.
A close police source, who craved anonymity, said Tatou led the police to the hideout of the other suspects.
He said, “Tatou said he knew nothing
about any kidnap but told us that a few days earlier, his brother, Jean
Mari, had asked him to send his bank account number because he needed to
receive some money from someone.
“Tatou then led us to a deserted building
where his brother lives. At the house, we were able to arrest those who
masterminded the purported kidnap.”
Detectives were however shocked when they saw the housemaid in the compound.
“That was when we discovered that she connived with her boyfriend to commit the crime,” the police source said.
Acheme however denied conniving with the kidnappers.
She said although she had invited her
boyfriend to come and visit her when the incident occurred, she had no
clue of his intentions.
“I invited my boyfriend (Dansu) to come
and visit me at the house when my madam had gone out. When he arrived,
he came with another guy and both of them pushed me into the toilet and
locked me there. They stole all my madam’s things and then kidnapped
me,” she said.
When asked why she did not escape from
the purported kidnappers’ den when she had the chance, she said, “I
could not escape because I did not know the terrain.”
She added, “My boss was very nice to me.
She paid me N12, 000 a month and I had worked with her for seven months
and she never maltreated me.
“She has two grown-up children and they
even give me tip when I do their laundry. I could not have repaid their
kindness with wickedness.”
Dansu also claimed to be innocent, saying it was his friend, Femi, who is now at large, that planned the whole thing.
The PPRO seized the opportunity to warn
employers of domestic servants to be wary of the people they hire,
noting that cases of crimes being committed by domestic servants seem to
be on the rise.
The PPRO noted that the suspects were all
nationals of Benin Republic and said it was necessary for employers to
register their domestic servants at the nearest police stations.-punch
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