[News] Petrol station workers charged with N83m theft

Four employees of an Oando Service Station in Alapere, Ketu Lagos have been arrested by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for allegedly defrauding their employer, Mrs Funmi Alebiosu of N83 million.

The suspects identified as Obande Emmanuel, Dauda Akeem, Fagunwa Michael and Abdul Samson were arraigned on a five count charge after being accused of conspiring to steal N22,234,000 from an Oando Service Station, between 2018 and 2019.

The defendants were also accused of “stealing by dishonesty and converting” the sums of N7, 000,000, N10, 560,000, N8, 974,950, amongst others. Mrs Alebiosu who testified in court after being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, Sylvester Azubike, said she was defrauded while on her sickbed in the United Kingdom for two months. She disclosed that she received a call from Oando about a reduction in her company’s capital and asking her to recapitalise.

Alebiosu accused Emmanuel, her former filling station manager of allegedly conniving with others to steal funds from daily sales running into millions of naira rather than remitting them to the company’s account.

The four suspects pleaded ‘not guilty” to the offence which is contrary to Section 516A of the Criminal Code of 2004.

Justice Adenike Coker of an Ikeja High Court who presided over the case, adjourned it till February 15.