Former chef of Odumegwu Ojukwu held over N15m jewelry

CP Lagos, Fatai Owoseni

Detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a man, who claimed to be the former chef of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

The suspect, Joseph Ogar Agbeh, said that he worked for Ojukwu and Bianca as chef in 1998, but left because, “Ojukwu was too strict and harsh. He used to slash salaries as disciplinary measures. I was discouraged.”

The suspect also described himself as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Jokas Football Academy, based in Calabar, Cross Rivers. The academy promised to train and take young hopeful footballers to overseas in order to fix them in clubs.

Agbeh, who claimed to have secured the chef job through the help of Ojukwu’s friend, called Mr. Innocent Morris, was accused of poisoning the food of his present boss, in order to steal jewelry worth N15million.

According to police detectives, Agbeh went up to his master’s bedroom after the man became unconscious and was rushed to the hospital.

The chef ransacked his boss’s room and carted away the jewelry.

This drama unfolded in the home while Agbeh’s mistress was overseas. The kids and housemaid were in another wings of the house and unaware that Agbeh had a sinister motive when he left his kitchen duties and went upstairs, ostensibly to sweep his “Oga’s room.” A duty he had never performed until that fateful day.

He had only worked three days when he carried out the operation.

He would later sell the jewelry at Obalende, Ikoyi, Lagos State for just a paltry sum of N1m. Police and Agbeh described his boss as ‘very rich.’

It took police over two weeks to be able to track and arrest him.

Preliminary investigations showed that documents he used in securing his present chef job in the home of the rich man were all fake. Also, details he gave to the employment agency, where he registered as someone seeking for the job of a chef and steward, were also said to be fake.

While admitting stealing the jewelry after his boss was rushed to hospital, Agbeh denied poisoning the man.

Police are also speculating that maybe he committed a crime while working with Ojukwu and was sacked.

The suspect said: “Ojukwu didn’t sack me. I sacked myself! I didn’t commit any crime in Ojukwu’s house. You can call Bianca and ask her. I didn’t poison my present boss. If I poisoned him, may I not get out of this police problem! In fact, he had not tasted anything I cooked on that day before he started feeling feverish. He drove himself to the hospital. I later prepared food for him, which was taken to the hospital. When he didn’t return that day, I carried out the operation. I stole the jewelry.”