Househelp confesses seeking employment with intent to steal

A househelp, whose real name is Usang Basey Effiong but told his employers he was Ben Peters, has confessed to the police in Lagos that he sought employment with a 73-year-old retiree, Mr Alexander Okoye, and his wife, Njideka Okoye, with an intention to steal their property. Mr Okoye had employed Effiong as his househelp […]

A househelp, whose real name is Usang Basey Effiong but told his employers he was Ben Peters, has confessed to the police in Lagos that he sought employment with a 73-year-old retiree, Mr Alexander Okoye, and his wife, Njideka Okoye, with an intention to steal their property.

Mr Okoye had employed Effiong as his househelp on October 12, 2018.

But only 11 days later, the suspect, according to the police, not only broke into his employer’s bedroom and stole valuable items, he alsomade away with the man’s Toyota Camry 2008 model car.

On October 24, 2018, Mr Okoye and his wife cried out to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Edgal Imohimi, through a written petition, complaining of how their househelp, who had been with them for only 11 days, had stolen their valuables, including the Toyota car, $5000, six packet shirts and a Motorola android phone, and fled.

Based on their complaint, Edgal directed Chief Superintendent of Police Kemi Adedeji and a team attached to the command’s Human Rights section to launch a manhunt for the househelp.

On December 18, 2018, the police arrested Effiong in Agege, Lagos, and some of the stolen items were recovered from him.

Edgal said it was during investigation that the househelp disclosed his real name is Usang Bassey Effiong and not Ben Peters, as he had made his employers to believe.

The police Commissioner said the suspect had confessed he did commit the crime. According to Edgal, Effiong said he observed where Mr Okoye usually hid his key bunch, took it and duplicated the living room key so he could gain again access to the master bedroom.

The suspect allegedly broke into the bedroom October 23, 2018 after he had disconnected the CCTV camera that would have recorded his activities. He allegedly stole his employers’ valuables and, thereafter, drove off with their car.

The suspect was said to have mentioned that robbing the couple was easy for him because the househelp they dismissed before employing him, Matthew Johnson Abam, was a friend who had furnished him with relevant information about the couple’s home before he came to live with them.

Abam has also been arrested and is in police custody.

Edgal reiterated that employers of domestic servants should painstakingly do background checks on whoever they intend to employ to verify their integrity before employing them.

Both suspects are still undergoing interrogation with a view to helping the police arrest their other partners in the syndicate and recover the stolen items.