My children's school fees led me to steal - Suspect

A truck conductor otherwise known as motorboy, has been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos for stealing a truck and two containers belonging to his employers, Samcham Holdings Limited.

According to police authorities, after the suspect, Udeme Udoton, allegedly stole the vehicle and the containers, he drove down to his hometown in Akwa Ibom and sold the containers.

The 28-year-old suspect was said to have changed the colour of the truck and employed a driver, who paid him on a daily basis.

A policeman said, “A transport company, Samcham Holdings Limited, reported to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko that on February 8, 2014, its truck was stolen by one of its employees. The CP ordered the officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, to begin investigations.

“The suspect was trailed to Eket in Akwa Ibom State. Upon interrogation, he said he employed someone in Cross River State to be using the truck. He also confessed to have changed the colour of the vehicle. So, we told him to lead us to Cross River State to retrieve the vehicle.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that  upon knowing of his imminent arrest, the driver dumped the vehicle at a disclosed location and fled.

The vehicle was subsequently recovered while the suspect was brought back to Lagos.

Udoton told PUNCH Metro that he was hypnotised into stealing.

He said, “I was a farmer in Akwa Ibom, but recently relocated to Lagos and got a job with a transport company in Mile 2 area of the state. A few weeks after I started working with the company, my friends from Akwa Ibom started putting all sorts of ideas into my head.

“They told me to get them empty cargo containers whenever I had the chance to. I rebuffed them, but on February 8, 2014, I don’t know what came over me. I think my friends hypnotised me over the telephone.

“On that day, we had gone to convey some containers from Sango Ota in Ogun State down to Mile 2 and when I got the opportunity, I fled with the truck and the two containers. I drove down to Akwa Ibom and sold the containers for N100,000 each.

“After selling the containers, my eyes were opened. When I realised what I had done, I decided to return the truck to my employers, but I was scared. So I decided to continue using the truck for my personal business.”

The suspect said he used the money in paying his three children’s school fees.

“I earn N5, 000 a month and I wanted my children to attend a private school and it is expensive. I used part of the money to pay school fees which was a total of N30, 000,” he said.

Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on the telephone, said the suspect would soon be charged to court.