Security guard robs boss over unpaid salaries

A security guard, Christopher Utibe, thought that the best way to punish his Indian employer, Mr. Appayya Kaliana, for denying him one year salaries was to seize his cars. But he was wrong.

For removing the vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Camry, and other items belonging to Kaliana, without the latter’s consent, Utibe, 26, faces possible prosecution for robbery.

The guard, who has been working for the Indian for over seven years, allegedly stole the vehicles from Kaliana’s residence on Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

Utibe is currently cooling his heels at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja, Lagos. But, in an interview withCRIME DIGEST, he tried to justify his action.

 Claiming that his boss travelled back to India for over a year without paying his salaries, Utibe said, “I have worked for Kaliana for over seven years and lived in the servants quarters with the other domestic employees. During the time, Kaliana travelled often. Sometimes, he would be away for about three weeks at a stretch before coming back to Nigeria. I was paid N13,000 every month.

“Early last year, he travelled to India. I had no idea that he was going away for a long while. He didn’t return for a year. Meanwhile, I was still in his employ. I couldn’t contact him directly. He would call to enquire about the house and other matters. Each time I mentioned my salary, he would refer me to his friends.

“I kept going to his friends, but they only paid me in bits. Some of them paid me N4,000, N8,000 and others N2,000. They told me there was no guarantee that they would get their money back from Kaliana. After this, I spoke with some of the domestic employees and they told me that Kaliana had fled the country; that he had some problems with the company he worked with.  Kaliana had settled all of them before he travelled. I was the only one left and nobody was sure that he would return. That was when I decided to rob him.”

One day, when he was alone in the compound, Utibe broke into the main building through the back door and removed one laptop, ipads, LCD TVs, four brand new tyres, a DSTV decoder, home theatre and a licensed pump action rifle. Utibe loaded the items into Kaliana’s cars and drove them away. Meanwhile, Kaliana who claimed to have left the country for health reasons, said that he was alerted to the robbery after he had asked one of his former employees to check the house for him.

“Utibe was recommended to me by a former housemaid. That was how I recruited him. I left the country in March 2011 because I had health issues and not because I had problems with anyone. I have lived in Nigeria for over 20 years. I paid off all my employees before I left. It was one of them that told me that the house had been burgled. He said my cars were not in the compound and that Utibe had been missing for over a month,” Kaliana said.

CRIME DIGEST gathered that the incident was initially reported at the Ojodu Police Division on Nov. 11 before it was transferred to SARS two weeks later.

Confirming that Utibe had been arrested, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Umaru Manko, said, “The stolen Toyota Corolla was traced to Port Harcourt and recovered from its new owner. The Toyota Camry was of recent discovered to have been sold to a buyer in Port Harcourt and would soon be recovered.

“Utibe is cooperating with the SARS team involved in this investigation to recover the pump action, which was also sold off. Another suspect Jerry Uchena, who was the receiver of all the stolen items, has also been arrested in connection with the incident. The suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.”