A FedEx dispatch rider identified as Kenneth Amadi, has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team in Rivers State, for reportedly stealing a sum of €14,000 (about N6m).
The dispatch rider was arrested along a colleague, Innocent Nnorom, who allegedly helped him to change the hard currency into naira and got N30,000 from the sum. It was gathered that Kenneth was sent from a Diamond Bank branch in Oyingbo, Port Harcourt to pick up some empty bags at another branch on Ikpere Road.
He reportedly found the money in an envelope left inside one of the bags. However an official who gave the bag to Keneth, called him three days after to ask about the missing envelope. The 37-year-old, who had stopped coming to work, admitted to have found the envelope and promised to return it.
However after he reneged on his promise and relocated from his residence with his wife and their newborn child, the case was subsequently reported to the police.
It was gathered that he used part of the money to rent an apartment, buy clothes, phones, among other items before luck ran out on him on June 1 when he was tracked down at his newly rented apartment through Nnorom.
Confessing to the crime, the dispatch rider told Punch’s correspondent that he decided to flee with the money three days after because there was no complaint of missing cash.
“I work for FedEx as a dispatch rider. On Monday, May 21, I was sent from Diamond Bank in Oyingbo to go and pick a bag at the bank’s branch on Ikpere Road. I usually go there every Monday or Wednesday to pick bags. On that Monday, I met with an official who gave me some bags. I wanted to leave with the bags when an envelope fell from one of them. I returned the envelope into the bag and left.
“On my way back to the bank, I opened the envelope and found some money there. It was €14,000. I dropped the bags at the office and kept the money with me, hoping that somebody would call me to ask about the envelope. I was going to the office until Thursday when I stopped. Nobody asked me about the envelope. I then changed part of the euro into naira to pay my rent and some debts.
“An official called to ask if I saw any envelope in the bag; I said yes and promised to return it. I packed out of the house and checked into a hotel with my family for three days. When I was getting calls from the office, we relocated to another hotel and spent three days there before I finally rented an apartment at Igwurita.
“I bought phones, foodstuffs and clothes from the money and bought some drugs for my baby. I gave my mother-in-law and younger brother who came to visit us N20,000 and N3,000 respectively. I gave my friend, Nnorom, N20,000 the first time he helped me to change the currency into naira. I gave him N5,000 each on second and third occasions. I lied to him and my wife that a friend in France sent the money to me. I was at home when the police came to arrest me. Altogether, I have spent about N600,000 from the money.”