Accountant: I tried to commit suicide over stolen 15,000 dollars

A 32-year-old Accountant of Eternal Oil, Reuben Agboola, has been arrested after he disappeared with his company’s 50,000 dollars and allegedly pretended he had been kidnapped.

After playing hide and seek game with his company and police for days, he was finally tracked to the Epe area of Lagos State and arrested.

Agboola said that a spell was cast on him by a fan who called him just as he was withdrawing 50,000 dollars from bank, which his company sent him to cash.

His words: “I’m into music. One of my fans, whom I often used to chat with, called me while I was in the banking hall. During our discussion on that fateful day, he asked me where I was. I told him I was in the bank, withdrawing money for my company. It was then he told me he needed 15,000 dollars to sort out his deportation problem in London. Immediately he told me that; something came over me.  I counted 15,000 dollars from the company’s money. He said that he would send someone to meet at the bank to the money.”

Agboola said when he left the banking, he met the expected person outside, waiting. He quietly handed over the money and his phone.

He explained: “It was after the person had gone that I regained my senses. I was confused. I didn’t know where or how to begin to search for the person. I don’t know what happened to me that day; it wasn’t the first time I would be going to the bank to withdraw money for my company. I had even withdrawn 200,000 dollars for my company before. I believed a spell was cast on me.”

According to Agboola, when it dawned on him that he had lost 15,000 dollars, he became scared. He ran to a primary school, located in Bariga area of the metropolis, to hide the remaining 35,000 dollars.

He said: “I didn’t want to take the money home because my wife would query me on where and how I got such a huge amount of money. After keeping the money in the school premises, I boarded a taxi to Epe to commit suicide. When I got to Epe, I changed my mind and decided to report myself to the police.”

Agboola, who denied ever pretending to have been kidnapped, added: “I only told the policemen that I went into hiding. Nobody kidnapped me. As I speak with you, I can’t fathom what really happened to me.”

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said the suspect, in order to avoid being arrested called and told his company that he had been kidnapped.

Owoseni said: “The suspect told his company that 15,000 dollars had been collected from him by armed robbers, who were kidnappers. The command will ensure the recovery of the remaining 35,000 dollars.”