Five employees of Godrej Nigeria Limited, along with an alleged accomplice, have been remanded by a Lagos Magistrate Court over their alleged theft of company property valued at “N184 million.”
The arrests were carried out by operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) at Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, in what marks a significant crackdown on corporate internal theft.
The defendants, identified as “Tope Oladapo, 31; Olusoji Gbadebo, 42; David Odole, 34; Irobi Desmond, 34; Chinoso Onyema; and alleged receiver Sijuola Saliu Olaniyi, 59,” were accused of conspiring to steal “synthetic hair fiber, homecare products, and household insecticides” from Godrej’s warehouse located at “Plot 2A, Ayodele Diya Street, Ikeja Industrial Estate.”
The thefts reportedly occurred between “January and May 2025” and culminated in the sale of the stolen goods to Olaniyi before the suspects allegedly fled.
The case surfaced after a petition was filed to the Inspector General of Police, prompting a formal referral to the Assistant Inspector General of Police at the Force Headquarters Annex in Lagos.
A detailed investigation led by ASP Okklo Jacckson employed “advanced forensic techniques, including CCTV footage analysis and specialized canine units,” successfully linking the suspects to the crime. Authorities apprehended the defendants, with Olaniyi captured in Lagos after an attempted escape.
During court proceedings at the “Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court,” Police Counsel ASP Cyriacus Osuji presented a “three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, and receiving stolen property,” citing offences under “Sections 411 and 297(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”
Osuji narrated how the defendants allegedly conspired to steal “N184 million worth of goods” from their employer and sold the items to Olaniyi, severely breaching the company’s trust.
Despite pleading “not guilty,” the defendants were met with a strict ruling.
Chief Magistrate M.A. Owunmi granted each defendant bail set at “N5 million with two sureties in like sum,” but ordered their remand at “Ikoyi Correctional Facility pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions.”
The case has been adjourned for further hearing.
