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By Christopher Oji
A businesswoman and four others have been arrested for stealing of N60 million worth of powdered milk belonging to Friesland Campina, Lagos.
The suspects are being interrogated at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.
The police said that on March 13, 2023, one Emmanuel, reported that sometime on March 8, 2023, one Samson Olusegun, a truck driver, attached to the company was assigned to convey a 1/40ft container with Identity no. ACLU-9651677, loaded with 1,040 bags of blended solid milk “Powder Milk”, worth N60,000,000.00 from Apapa Tincan Wharf, to Friesland Campina, WAMCO PLC, at 7B ACME Road, Ogba Industrial Estate Ikeja. However, Samson Olusegun allegedly conspired with his cohorts and diverted the truck with the goods to Coker Bus Stop, along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, where Opeyemi Akinloye, Jimoh Iyanu, ‘and others trans-loaded the goods to another truck, thereafter, sold 491 bags of Powdered Milk worth N36,700,000.00, to a female businesswoman, Hazimi Abdulakeem,47, who resides at Iwagba area, Ogbomosho town, Oyo State.
Meanwhile, four suspects: Samson Olusegun, Jimoh Iyanu, Opeyemi Akinloye, and Hazimi Abdulakeem, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Command.
According to a senior police officer, the sum of N6,550,000 was recovered from the suspects so far, while the police have declared a manhunt for other gang members who are on the run.
Speaking to our correspondent, a 47-year-old woman, alleged to have received the stolen goods, said she only bought half of the stolen goods and not the whole goods.
“I am in a serious predicament because I have paid the person who introduced me to the business, but he was arrested for another offence and arraigned in court and he told me that he won’t pay any money to anybody, since he has been arraigned in the Court. I was arrested at Ijebu Ode because I bought powdered milk from a man. The man brought it for me at Ogbomosho.
“His name is Ope, but as I bought the powdered milk, I was arrested and Ope was also arrested because they said Ope sold stolen goods to me. The goods were too many, it was 400 bags of powdered milk and I suspected that the goods were stolen, so I asked the people who brought them to mean to take some out of the load, but they didn’t come. I bought the goods around February ending and 1 sold everything. When I was arrested, I was told that I would pay all the money, N36 million. The price of goods was N32,200,00 million, but I paid N25,200 million. I have all the receipts of the money I paid. I collected it from the bank. So the last time I met him, I told him to bring the money I paid to him for the goods he said he has only N13 and I told him to bring it.
“But he said his case is already in court and that he won’t repay anyone again. So I explained to the police that they should release me because I have a high sugar level, they took me to the hospital three days ago and my B.P is 180. The drugs I was given didn’t work, and I have been pleading with the police to let me go and treat myself before I will die in their custody.”
However, one of the police investigators alleged that the woman is a serial receiver of stolen goods as she had other cases in police stations, citing another case involving stolen Coco in Zone 2 Police Command headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Benjamin Hundeyin said the case was being investigated, saying the “Commissioner of Police has ordered the SCIID to investigate the matter.”
