Suspected thief electrocuted after stealing in church

Taiwo Jimoh

Detectives attached to the homicide section, Lagos State Police Command have started investigating the identity of a man, who burgled a church and died in the process at the Ikorodu area of the metropolis.

The deceased was said to have burgled Glorious Voice of God Church, located at Shote area of Ijede, Lagos State, to steal musical instruments and electrical wires.

He has successfully stolen the items and was already leaving, when he suddenly got to the outer part of the church front and decided to help himself to another wires.

He was trying to pull down the wires, when Electricity Distribution Company (DisCo) suddenly restored power. The man was instantly electrocuted.

Members of the church came in the morning to find his corpse and stolen items abandoned. Some of the stolen cables were in a black bag. 

Our correspondent, who visited the community, heard that it has been under siege of burglars for long.

According to residents, the thieves used to besiege the community especially on Sundays, knowing most shop’s owners wouldn’t be around. The thieves used to burgle and loot shops.

Schools, artisans and churches were not left out of the burglars’ operations. A welder said he attempted suicide after his shop was burgled and his tools stolen three times within a month.

The presiding pastor of Glorious Voice of God Church,

Ogah Rodorick, said: “The death of the robbery suspect is a lesson to other robbers who are planning to rob God’s house. A thief or armed robber that goes into the house of God to steal or rob has committed a sacrilege!”

Rodorick explained: “I was not in the church on the fateful day of the incident. I was still at home when I received a phone call at about 7a.m. from a neighbour, that I should come to the Church quickly. He said that someone was in the Church with electrical wires. It was because of the distance of my house to the Church, that I had to call my assistant pastor, who lives close to the Church to go and check what was happening. When he got there, he called me back, saying that the matter was serious. He said that I should come myself. When my assistant pastor got to the church, he discovered that the thief had vandalised and removed every cable in the Church. While he was trying to remove more cables, he was electrocuted.

 “When we moved closer to his corpse, we discovered that the cable on his chest was still burning. We immediately reported him to Area N Police Command. Policemen later came and then they took my statement. His remains were evacuated and deposited at the mortuary. Police later told me that it was a case of electrocution.”

Rodorick disclosed that their stay in the church was just two years. He said that he remembered that when the church was moving into the community, he was told that burglars and burglaries were prevalent.

“I have never envisaged that that they would come into the Church. I didn’t see what they would want to steal in a church. I never knew that they were a lot to steal in a Church. When the owner of the land gave us this place to use as our church and worship God, I was told that because we are having a lot of activities, that thieves wouldn’t come close to the Church, but the reverse is now the case,” stated Rodorick.

He further noted: “Since we moved into the Church, we have not witnessed any robbery incident. This is the first time. I believe that the God I serve will continue to expose criminals who are robbing the house of God.”

The assistant Pastor of the Church, Mr. Alex Obi said he was sleeping when he received a phone call from the presiding pastor to proceed to the Church.

Obi recalled: “To my surprise, when I got to the Church, I saw the man lying on the ground with the stolen cables on his chest. A crowd had gathered. The robber gained access into the Church through a portion of the gate that fell during a heavy rainfall.  The suspect removed the wire from the band, the coil of a standing fan and put them in a sack. He was trying to remove another wire outside, which channels light into the church, when he was electrocuted. It is God that arrested him. This will serve as a lesson to others who are planning to go into robbery. I was told that the suspect was one of the scavengers from the northern part of the country. After we had left the police station, some of his ‘brothers’ came to the church to plead with us to release the corpse to them for burial.”

Mr. Ashwogbin, a bricklayer, was the first person that noticed the corpse. He quickly called Rodorick.

He recounted that on that fateful day, while he was in his shop at about 7am, he decided to make use of the toilet. The toilet was close to the church. It was when Ashwogbin was moving closer to the toilet, that he sighted the corpse of the suspect.

Ashwogbin said: “A few hours later, the assistant pastor came and we both moved round the Church. We then discovered that the cables in the church had been vandalised by the thief. Police later came to the scene.  When I saw him, I couldn’t touch him.  Since we have been in this place since 2013, my shop had been robbed thrice and my work tools carted away. Our area is common for robbery. Even with the presence of the vigilante. A plumbing material shop, close to mine, had been robbed several times.  Whenever they want to rob the plumbing material shop, they would break in through the fence at the back.  I have complained several times to the police, but nothing had been done. The situation got to a stage that I became ashamed of always going to police to report.”

The owner of the plumbing material shop, who simply identified himself as Innocent, said that the robbers erroneously thought that he used to keep money in his shop. Innocent revealed that his shop had been burgled four times.

He said: “When they burgled my shop the fourth time and didn’t find money, they left a note, threatening that they would never relent in burgling my shop until they have collected their share of my sales. They had not returned since the day they drop that warning note. Each time they broke the fence, we would simply erect it back. I was surprised when I was told that a robber came into the Church at the back of my shop.  I believe this robbery is as a result of laziness of youths. They don’t want to work; they just want easy money. We, residents of Ijede and Gberegbe are suffering a lot! We don’t have good roads. If policemen want to chase the robbers, there is no way they could do that because every part of the community is in a bad state.”

A welder, Mr. Michael Izeko, whose work tools has been stolen thrice, said that he attempted suicide twice.

He explained that on January 7, when he got to his shop all his work tools had been carted away. He reported to the police, but two weeks later, his shop was raided again.

He said: “I thought that would be enough. Unfortunately, but they came again and took more tools. It was then I decided to commit suicide. There was no way I could get money to buy the tools. I resorted to selling some of my doors at cheaper rate so as to be able to buy another tools. When I calculated everything they took, it ran into millions. I believe the one that died in the Church was among those who stole my tools. The robbers are many in our area. They are not ready to work. Since then, I have not recovered. Majority of the robbers are scavengers, police should focus on them.”

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a school that was still under construction was burgled and all the cables removed.

He added: “I’m appealing to the Area Commander and DPO to double their efforts in getting rid of these people. They are causing a lot of havoc in this community. I believe that it is because this community is locate in this remote area, that the police are not putting their best to tackle this burglaries. Shops are burgled every day and property taken every day.  This present one came to each and every one of us in the community as a shock because I never believed robbers could entered a Church to rob. What eventually happened to the robber was a punishment from God. A message to other people; that whoever is planning such thing either now or in a future, should desist.”

Comrade Jeremiah Obaji of Church Assemblies of God Church, at Gberigbe area, also narrated how their own Church was also burgled.

The musical instrument of the Church worth millions of Naira was also carted away by some burglars.

His words: “Our Church has been burgled more than eight times. We are even tired of reporting the matter to the police. As I’m speaking with you, we don’t have musical instruments in our Church. We are now begging wealthy people to buy for us, because our members are tired of contributing money to buy the instruments.  The last time they came to our Church was in June. The rate of burglaries in this community is quite alarming!”