Aman, Pius Edward, his wife, Fausat, and her mother, have been arrested by the police in Oyo State for the alleged theft of a sum of N13million from the Bishop’s Court of the Anglican Church in the Bodija area of Ibadan, the state capital.
Edward, a private security guard at the church, was said to have broken into an office in the Bishop’s Court in the wee hours of November 8, 2016, where he stole the money, which he later made away with.
It was gathered that the suspect, who had since been on the run with his entire family, had woken his wife from bed the following morning and told her to prepare for a journey with the children.
After the theft was reported by one of the clerics in the church, the police were, however, launched a manhunt for the fleeing security guard, who was eventually nabbed in IdiIroko, a border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic, where he had gone to buy two cars with part of his loot.
He was also said to be planning to relocate his family to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ndabawa, said Edwards’ in-law’s involvement in the crime was her attempt to help the fleeing security guard and his family to leave Nigeria by facilitating the procurement of their travel documents.
He said, “On November 9, 2016 at about 9am, an accountant attached to the Bishop’s Court, Bodija, Ibadan, reported to the Special AntiRobbery Squad office that on November 8, at 11.55pm, Edward broke into the office and made away with N13m which belongs to the church.
“Investigation revealed that the suspect was hiding in a hotel at Odeda in Ogun State. With the help of immigration of- fice, Ogun State Command, the suspect and his family were assisted in procuring travelling document to Dubai without letting him know that he was being lured out of his hiding place.
At 11.55pm, Edward broke into the office and made away with N13m which belongs to the church
He was arrested thereafter at Idi-Iroko, Ogun State, with two unregistered cars he had purchased with part of the money.”
Also recovered from him were N656, 000 and $2,300, while Edward said that he tore a N7million cheque belonging to the church for fear of being arrested while attempting to cash it.
Edward confessed to the crime while speaking with our correspondent on the telephone from Abeokuta, adding that he only stole N2.5million and that he purchased cars worth N1.8m from the loot.
“I pushed my wife into the crime. My mother in-law was involved because she introduced me to the immigration officer that helped us to procure the travelling documents,” he said.
Fausat said she did not know that her husband had stolen the money he was spending.
“He threatened to leave me with the children if I did not follow him. So, I followed him. He did not tell me that he stole money from the church,” she said.
