Crime: Couple, Mother-In-Law Arrested For Stealing N13m From Church

A suspect, Pius Edward; his wife, Fausat; and her mother,
have been arrested by the Oyo State Police Command in
connection with the theft of N13m from Bishop's Court, an
Anglican church in Bodija area of Ibadan. Edward, a security
man at the church was said to have broken into an office
where the money was kept and made away with it.
It was alleged that he woke his wife the following morning
and told her to prepare for a journey with the children. After
the theft was reported by one of the reverends in the church,
the police were, however, able to trace his movement and
nabbed him at Idi-Iroko, Ogun State, 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 was attempting to help the
family disappear from Nigeria by facilitating the procurement
of their travel documents. He said, "On November 9, at about
9am, an accountant attached to Bishop's Court, Bodija,
Ibadan, reported to the Special Anti-Robbery 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 office,
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. He was arrested thereafter at Idi-Iroko, Ogun State with
two unregistered car he had purchased with part of the
money." Also recovered from him were N656, 000 and
$2,300, while Edward said he tore a N7m 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, adding that he only stole N2.5m and that he
purchased N1.8m cars 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
procure the travelling document," he said. Fausat said she did
not know that her husband had stolen the money. "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.