Workers of Pharmaceutical Company Steal Drugs Worth N56m

The Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos, has arrested three workers of Peakins Pharmaceutical in Lagos, for allegedly stealing drugs estimated at N56m. The suspects are Emmanuel Okechukwu, Ikechukwu Orji and Chisom Azubuke.

Two others, who were estate security guards, Uchechukwu Ofoepeka and Goddy Ogobi, were named as accomplices. All five guys are now in police custody.

It all started when the owner of the company, Isaac Ugwu, caught one of the workers, Okechukwu, with a carton of a drug valued at N400,000.

The suspect, according to Punch report, was allegedly taking it away from the company’s warehouse on Plot C, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki, Lagos, when he was caught.

Ugwu was said to have reported the matter at the zone 2 command through a petition to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Abdulmajid Ali.

The case was subsequently transferred to the anti-kidnapping unit of the command.

In the course of investigation, Okechukwu mentioned the names of other workers and estate guards.

The zone 2 spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the confession led to the arrest of other suspects.

He said, “Upon interrogation, all the suspects confessed to the crime and revealed that the nefarious act had been going on since May 2016.

“It was discovered that about 102 cartons of LORNAT DS tablets, valued at N39.7m; 200 cartons of FUNBACT ‘A’ valued at about N16m; and five cartons of PAALAXIN tablets valued at N200,000, totalling about N55,980,000 had been stolen from the company.”

Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police, said the guys had been arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court on two counts of conspiracy and stealing.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Sola Adeoye, admitted them to bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties each in like sum.

The AIG, Ali, while condemning the crime, urged business owners to carry out security checks on intending employees.