Margaret Sunday Udoh, a 29-year-old woman from Akwa Ibom State, was apprehended on July 28, 2024, for embezzling $20,000, just two months after her release from the Kirikiri correctional facility in Lagos.
Her arrest followed her earlier incarceration, which lasted from January 20 to March 2024, for a previous theft. Initially, Udoh was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison after stealing a wristwatch valued at N22 million and €1,500 from her employer in Ikate, Lagos State.
Upon her release in January, she secured employment as a domestic worker, only to commit another theft in March 2024, reportedly stealing $12,300.
She received assistance from a security guard, Emmanuel Ozogie from Nasarawa State, who collaborated with her and aided in her escape to Ebonyi State by accepting $300 from the stolen money.
In the course of her arrest, law enforcement authorities confiscated $3,000 from Udoh.
It was disclosed that she had given a portion of the stolen money to her father to commence construction on his property.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, officially confirmed Udoh's arrest in a statement issued on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.
“She is smart. To avoid being tracked, she dumped her phone with SIM in a spot in Lagos without switching it off. So, while the police were tracking the phone, she was out of Lagos,” the PPRO said.
“After she stole the money, her employer, who failed to do the due diligence before employing her or asking about her family or where she stays, reported to the police. We started an investigation, which led us to Ebonyi State, where she was arrested. The suspects are to be charged to court soon.”
During an interview with the Guardian at the police headquarters in Ikeja, the suspect attributed her actions to greed. She disclosed that she began working as a domestic worker in 2015 in Port Harcourt and had been sending all her earnings to her parents for their financial support. She stated that her first offense took place in the Ikate area of Surulere in Lagos.
“I have worked with 10 people and only stole from two. I left Port Harcourt because the work was stressful and moved to Delta State, where I spent only five months because the workload was heavy,” she said.
“I returned to Port Harcourt, then moved to Bayelsa State before coming to Lagos in 2019, where I worked as a house help in Ikorodu. I spent two months and moved to Chevron, where I spent five months but left because I couldn't cope.”
“I worked with a family in Jakande Estate, spent a year, and then six months with one Gbemisola. I left after six months because she told me she couldn't afford to pay my salary. I then worked with one Alexandra, but the person relocated abroad.”
“I worked in Ikate, where I stole money and a wristwatch. I was jailed, and I came out on January 20. One Mr Emmanuel linked me with Miss Adeyemi, but he knows nothing about this. I was interviewed on March 3, 2024, and resumed work the next day as a housekeeper,”
“One day, I saw $12,300 in her wardrobe, and I informed Emmanuel, the gateman, who advised me to take the money. I gave him $300 and we moved from the house on March 10, 2024, and went to the park.”
Asked about his involvement, 27-year-old Ozogie said: “I have been working there for three years, and I never got involved in this situation. I lost my father, my mother and my brother, and I have been struggling to do what God assigned me to do, which is preaching to people,” he said.
“I used to preach to her, and I encouraged her. I warned her that the woman would find her, but she convinced me that she couldn't be arrested. She told me that she liked me and wanted to settle down with me,"
"I was also looking for a woman to settle down with, and I was told that she was the one God assigned for me. She left me at the park, and street urchins took the money. I regret getting involved.”
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