Guard docked over theft of employer’s N2m valuables

A 29-year-old guard, James Nanjui, was recently arraigned at a Tinubu Chief Magistrate’s Court over an alleged theft of his employer’s valuables worth about N2 million.
The accused, said to live with his employer, Chinonye Agboguo, at 20, Johnson Adegoke Street, Unity Estate, Lekki, is facing a two-count charge of unlawful entry into his employer’s bedroom and stealing gold valued at N1.2 million, wristwatches valued at N180,000, as well as cloths and shoes valued at N275,000.
The prosecutor, Mrs. Francisca Okere, also accused Nanjui of stealing a laptop valued at N180,000, a computer game worth N50,000, N90,000 cash, a camcorder valued at N180,000 and cheque leaves. She told the court that the offences were committed between January 7, 2015 and August, 2015.
She alleged that the accused duplicated his employer’s key and used it to steal the items anytime he and his family members were not in the house.
She said the gradual disappearance of items from Agboguo’s bedroom had worried him, causing confusion and mistrust within his household.
“The situation got so bad that the complainant was suspecting everybody except himself. There were times he would call family members of the housekeeper’s working for him to tell them what their children were doing.
But each time he called, they always told him that their children were not into such things.
“The situation was particularly confusing because the accused hardly entered the building, and there were no signs that anybody broke into the room.”
The prosecutor, however, said it was one Stephen Moses who bought one of the stolen items that exposed the antics of the accused to his employer.
She said that apart from the camcorder sold to Moses, some other items, including necklaces and wristwatches, were recovered from the accused when he was arrested.
She said the offences contravened sections 306 and 285 of the criminal laws of Lagos State (2011).
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the magistrate, Mr. L. A. Owolabi, granted him bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties each in like sum.
The case was adjourned till September 14, 2015.