Police Arrest 30 As Robbers Cart Away N3 Million At Lagos Secretariat

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News From The State Friday, June 5th, 2015

The police in Lagos have arrested and detained 30 Lagos State Government workers over the carting away of N3 million by robbers on Friday.

Robbers invaded the account department of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice at the early hours of Friday and made away with the money meant for payment of allowances of non-government employees.

The robbers accessed the building through the ceiling under the full glare of security personnel and carted away the money.

The authorities of the Ministry called in the police to quiz 30 civil servants from the account department and security men on duty that night.

The Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Lawal Pedro said the incident happened over night but that staff of the department are currently being quizzed at Alausa Police Station.

Pedro said the police would screen those arrested and ensured that culprits were brought to book.

“Why did the burglary not take place weeks before when there was no money and everybody was complaining”, he queried, stressing that the incident could not have happened without an insider.

He said all the security men that were on duty when the department was burgled are also being interrogated in addition to those working in the Accounts Department and that he has given his nod for thorough investigation of the incident despite pressure to sweep the matter under the carpet.

Pedro disclosed that N3 million was carted away by the burglars, saying that “immediately they told me, I asked them not to enter the department since policemen would need fingerprints during the investigation.”

According to him, the money was meant to pay allowance to Nigerians who are used in ‘Probono’ Services, mediation, free legal services and others adding that since they are not staff, the ministry evolved the idea of giving them allowance for volunteering their expertise in mediation and in other areas.

“And they like it even though we don’t pay them. The allowance range from N5,000 to N10, 000 per volunteer in a month, the money was to offset the allowance of about 40 volunteers,” he explained.