Why I took part in robbing my madam-housemaid

Mary

Mathew

Mary Francis is fair complexioned and pretty. She is a house maid, accused of conniving with robbers to rob her mistress’s home.

One moment she denies plotting with two suspected robbers to rob her mistress, Mrs. Jane Ashimi. In the next breathe; she claims that the woman used to incessantly make her to ‘drink garri.’

Just when one thinks she was finally beginning to crack and was on the verge of a confession, she breaks down in tears, sobbing like her heart would break. She tells everyone who cares to listen that her two accomplices, Igwu Ogana Mathew and one John, threatened to kill her if she did not join in robbing her mistress. Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide said: “Sometimes in December 2012, Mary, a house help to the complainant met with Mathew somewhere at Shagamu Motor Park, where they discussed about the financial background of Mary’s employer. It was confirmed that Mary’s mistress have some dollars and valuables.

“It was based on this information, Mary, Mathew and John and one Peter all planned to carry out a robbery operation in the house of the complainant. On January 4, 2013, at about 9:30pm, the complainant’s entrance gate was intentionally opened by Mary, which gave easy entrance tom the armed robbers into the complainant’s apartment. She was met in her bedroom. The two robbers attacked her and ransacked her apartment, after tying her legs and hands with rope. The robbers made away with one Civic saloon car, marked EG376MK, a laptop, the sum of N200, 000 and 3000m dollar. Jewelry valued at N200, 000 and five assorted handsets.”

According to Braide, investigation conducted in this case, extended to Iyala in Cross-River State, where the principal suspect, Mathew initially escape to, but later arrested in his residential house at Owode Egba, in Ogun State. One of the stolen handsets and jewelry were recovered from him.  

Mary was alleged to have given detailed information to Mathew to aid their entry into the home of her mistress.

When Mathew and his partner, John arrived, wielding a toy robber, Mary had allegedly pretended to be shocked by the invasion. The gunmen had even tied her hands and legs, just as they did to her mistress, to make it look like she was not in on the crime.

But detectives investigating the robbery, refused to buy the pat story. They believed that the robbers succeeded with the aid of an insider. They swooped on Mary and the driver of the victim, identified as Anayo Alayefule.

They were both taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), where under intense interrogation; Mary carved in and confessed that she knew the men would be coming to rob the house.

Mary however said that she did not plan the robbery with the men, whom she explained were her village people.

According to her, one of the men, Mathew was the person who planned the whole robbery. She said that when she told him that she would not partake in such a crime against her madam, Mathew threatened to kill her.

Mathew on the other hand, gave Mary a disgusted look and said that it was Mary who brought the idea, but he was the person who brought in the third guy, John.

He said: “It was John who went with me on the fateful night of the robbery to Jane’s home with a toy gun.”

Fighting to control the tears streaking down her face, Mary sniffs: “I’ve worked with my Madam for two and half months before the incident. When I met Mathew at the motor park, he said I was looking good. He asked me if I was used to steal from my madam, I said no. He asked me why not. I told him that I couldn’t do such a thing.  He said he would give me master key to open her bedroom and check out the items there, I told him that I couldn’t do such.

“He further said that I should check where she used to keep money and begin to remove it bit by bit. It was then she suggested that he would come with gun to threaten my madam to part with money. When I said no again, he said he would kill me. My madam does not feed me well. She makes me to drink garri always. The idea to rob her was not mine. They said they would kill me if I tell my Madam. I didn’t tell my madam because I was afraid.”

Pressing home her denial, she said that the men did not give her any share from the loot they stole from Mrs. Ashimi’s house.

Mathew pounced on that statement, saying Mary had not received any share of the loot because they were arrested before they could even share.

He said: “The truth is that when I met Mary at the Motor Park, she told me that she wanted to steal her Madam’s money and run away. I told her not to do so. I told her that I’ll send somebody to the house to scare her madam and collect money from her. I truly sent a guy. His name is John. He went with a plastic gun. I was with him. It was Mary that opened and the driver that opened the gate for us. We took some money and jewelry from the woman. The police have collected the stolen items from us.”