Couple, in-law arrested for stealing N13m from church

A suspect, Pius Edward; his wife, Fausat;
and her mother, have been arrested by
the Oyo State Police Command in
connection with the theft of N13m from
Bishop's Court, an Anglican church in
Bodija area of Ibadan.
Edward, a security man at the church
was said to have broken into an office
where the money was kept and made
away with it.
It was alleged that he woke his wife the
following morning and told her to
prepare for a journey with the children.
After the theft was reported by one of
the reverends in the church, the police
were, however, able to trace his
movement and nabbed him at Idi-Iroko,
Ogun State, where he had gone to buy
two cars with part of his loot.
He was also said to be planning to
relocate his family to Dubai in the
United Arab Emirates.
The state Commissioner of Police,
Mohammed Ndabawa, said Edwards' in-
law's involvement was attempting to
help the family disappear from Nigeria
by facilitating the procurement of their
travel documents.
He said, "On November 9, at about 9am,
an accountant attached to Bishop's
Court, Bodija, Ibadan, reported to the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad office that
on November 8, at 11.55pm, Edward
broke into the office and made away
with N13m which belongs to the church.
"Investigation revealed that the suspect
was hiding in a hotel at Odeda in Ogun
State. With the help of immigration
office, Ogun State Command, the
suspect and his family were assisted in
procuring travelling document to Dubai
without letting him know that he was
being lured out of his hiding place. He
was arrested thereafter at Idi-Iroko,
Ogun State with two unregistered car he
had purchased with part of the money."
Also recovered from him were N656,
000 and $2,300, while Edward said he
tore a N7m cheque belonging to the
church for fear of being arrested while
attempting to cash it.
Edward confessed to the crime while
speaking with our correspondent,
adding that he only stole N2.5m and
that he purchased N1.8m cars from the
loot.
"I pushed my wife into the crime. My
mother in-law was involved because she
introduced me to the immigration
officer that helped us procure the
travelling document," he said.
Fausat said she did not know that her
husband had stolen the money.
"He threatened to leave me with the
children if I did not follow him.
"So I followed him. He did not tell me
that he stole money from the church,"
she said.