“It’s so sad that what I have laboured for the past 20 years after leaving university was just carted away within hours of a day. All my entire savings. All that I can say is mine to sustain my family with; all gone within a twinkle of an eye”,
The above were the words of Mr. Woye Aladegbola, the owner of a popular clothing store famous with the name “A la mode”, located along Umar Audi road, opposite old Broadway hotel, GRA, Ilorin.
The incident, which occurred in July, has left the young entrepreneur and investor in ruins and tatters as he lost over N10million when some burglars invaded his shop in the wee hours of Thursday last week.
Items carted away by the suspected hoodlums, it was learnt, include several top-of-the-range designers clothing items like shirts, chinos and jeans trousers, men’s and ladies shoes, men’s suits, and some other imported classic accessories.
Ruining his fate, the former Globacom employee, who said he resigned from the telecommunications company to venture into the world of business, said it was only his clothing store that was burgled in a row of shops situated along the road.
Such incidents, he noted, could however discourage investment and called on the state government and the security agencies to improve on security in the state.
Aladegbola said “The burglary incident happened in July at about 6:30 am. It was my landlady on her way to work who surprisingly noticed that my store had been opened.
“She said that she moved closer to see who could have opened it at that period of the day and was taken aback to see how everything had been scattered and saw that it has actually been burgled. She later alerted me that my store had been burgled. And I rushed down.
“Items carted away are worth about N9.8m and with other fixtures it amounted to over N10m aside other items.
“To encourage business owners in the state, I want to call on government and security agencies to assure the people of adequate security and protection. And to imagine that my store is opposite a main road and just a street separates it from Senator Bukola Saraki residence, adjacent to former CBN Deputy Governor’s house and a minute drive from the Commissioner of Police’s official residence.
“These are places of prominent and important dignitaries. It’s on a highway where there should be security patrol. I don’t understand why almost all items in a store could be packed. They must have come in a lorry and throughout the period it lasted, no patrol. It shows there’s poor security surveillance in the state. And till now, the police had no clue to the matter.
“This could really discourage investment. As it is I don’t know if I could continue with the store because I wouldn’t want such to happen again. The onus is on government to provide security. I’m an employer of labour. I had to lay off some of my staff. This should not be allowed to continue or else rate of unemployment and crime will continue to rise”, he said.
He said the case has been reported at ‘F’ Police Division station and the command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ilorin but expressed disappointed on their efforts thus far adding that the police had not made any arrest on the incident.
“When I reported at the ‘A’ division of the Nigeria Police, an officer followed me down to the store and there was nothing whatsoever yet afterwards.’’
Speaking on the issue, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Okasanmi Ajayi, promised that the Police will look into the matter towards conducting investigation that would unravel the perpetrators.
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