Friday, April 14, 2017

‘My salesgirls used charms to steal N51m goods from me’



The Chief Executive Officer of Beauty Land Nigeria Limited, Alhaja Aduke Jaji has revealed how shocked she was after she found out that her sales girls, connived with a fake policeman to steal her N51 million.

Trouble for the fake policeman, Mr. Ifeanyi Okolie and the two sales girls,  Rofiat and Tawa Cole, started after Jaji discovered that there were discrepancies in the sales of goods and remittance of the money.
Acting on instinct, Jaji hired an auditor and after investigation, discovered that goods worth over N51million have disappeared from her shops and warehouses.
Jaji said that the most shocking aspect of the whole drama was when she heard the girls confessing that they went to an herbalist for charms against her.
Jaji said: “They hid the charms in my shops. The charm is supposed to make me forget any goods they stole. They were ready to kill me.”
Recalling her journey to discovery, Jaji said: "I travelled last June and left Taofeek Bakare in charge of the company at Lagos Island. I also have shops at Trade Fair Complex. Tawa Nee Cole and Rofiat were in charge of the shops at Trade Fair. Whenever I asked them to bring out five cartons of a product from the warehouse, they would take out seven cartons or more. They would sell the extra cartons at a cheap rate. They lied that sales were poor.
“I didn’t know they were stealing from me. They told my customers to pay into their accounts instead of my mine. I got an auditor and we found out that goods worth over N51million were missing.  The security guard, Mohammed and Mr. Ifeanyi Okolie, conspired with them to break into my warehouse. They stole my goods. We found some of my goods in the booth of Okolie 's Honda Accord (EOD). Okolie told me he was an Inspector at Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan. I later discovered he was a fake policeman. I reported the matter at Ejigbo Police Station.”
Rofiat and Tawa Cole said that they used the proceeds from the stolen goods to open their own shops at Tejuosho Market, Yaba, Lagos. They deal in cosmetics and fabrics. The ladies and their accomplices were arrested. They were later charged to court.
According to the charge sheet obtained from the Ikeja Magistrate Court 23, the accused are facing a six count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation theft and threat to life.
The prosecutor, Inspector Peter N, told the court that the accused conspired and stole cosmetics and other property of Jaji.
According to the charge sheet, the accused are Ifeanyi Okolie 49, fake policeman,  Akinwale Idowu 20, sales boy and Bulama Mohammed 20, a security guard.
Other accused are Adekanbi Akinwale Tawakalitu Nee Cole 49, sales supervisor, Belawu Rofiat, sales girl, Adesegun Akinwale 51 , Taofeek Bakare, manager of the company and  Mariam Adewale 20, also a salesgirl.
Items stolen include Milani Powder, Black Radiant Powder, and eyeliners, among others.
Count five reads: "That you Ifeanyi Okolie and others now at large, on the same time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district, did parade and represent yourself as a member of the Nigeria Police Force as an Inspector serving at Zone 2 headquarters Onikan Lagos, which you are not and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 78(a)(b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos state 2015.”
Count six reads: "That you Ifeanyi Okolie and others now at large on the same date and time in the aforementioned magisterial district did threaten to kill one Alhaja Aduke Jaji and therefore committed an offence punishable under Section 56(1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The Magistrate,  Mrs. Akokwa O. A, granted the accused bail of N4 million each. The sureties must live in their own property with proof of title documents, tax and verification of address. The case was adjourned to May 31.

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