Margaret Sunday Udoh, a 29-year-old woman from Akwa Ibom State, was arrested on July 28, 2024, for stealing $20,000 from her employer just two months after being released from the Kirikiri correctional facility in Lagos. This incident occurred after she served a one-year jail term for a similar crime.
Margaret was released from prison in January 2024. By March, she had secured a job as a house help. However, she soon returned to her old ways, stealing $20,000 from her employer. She claimed to have taken $12,300, with the assistance of Emmanuel Ozogie, a security guard from Nasarawa State, who received $300 for his role. Together, they fled to Ebonyi State.
Margaret used part of the stolen money to help her father start building a house. The police recovered $3,000 from her during their investigation.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, explained that Margaret tried to avoid being tracked by leaving her phone and SIM card in Lagos. This misled the police, who initially traced her phone in the wrong location. However, a thorough investigation led to her arrest in Ebonyi State.
Her employer had failed to conduct a proper background check before hiring her. This lack of diligence, coupled with Margaret’s clever tactics, initially allowed her to escape detection. However, the police’s persistent efforts eventually led to her capture, and she is now set to face charges in court.
In an interview at the police headquarters in Ikeja, Margaret admitted that greed drove her to commit the crime. She revealed that she had been working as a house help since 2015, sending her earnings to support her parents. Her first crime was in Ikate, Surulere, Lagos.
Margaret statement,
“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,”
“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.”
Ozogie 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,”
“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.”
Margaret’s case underscores the importance of thorough background checks by employers and highlights the difficulties ex-convicts face in trying to reintegrate into society.
