Former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan Abuja Gwarimpa Home Looted By Thieves:

Former President Goodluck Jonathan Abuja
Gwarimpa Home Looted By Thieves:

An Abuja home of former President Goodluck Jonathan has
been burgled. However, in what appears a curious twist, the
house was not burgled by unknown thieves, but by police
officers assigned to guard the house.
The Nigeria Police have arrested three of its officers for
stealing items valued at several hundred million naira from
the Abuja residence of the former president Goodluck
Jonathan.
The items were alleged to have been stolen by the officers
from the residence located at No. 89, Fourth Avenue in the
Gwarimpa district of Abuja.
The items include:
1. Niger Delta traditional attires in about 20 Ghana-must-go
sacks.
2. Suits, each one with “President Jonathan” inscribed in the
inner side, in five big Ghana-must-go sacks.
3. About 10 big Ghana-must-go sacks of women attires made
from lace materials sewn in Niger Delta style.
4. More than 10 bundles of Ankara materials, known as
Atamfa.
5. About 10 sets of babban riga.
6. One big Ghana-must-go sack containing clothes with PDP
logo neatly sewn on each one.
7. More than 20 Niger Delta bowler .
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND FURNITURE ITEMS
1. 36 Plasma televisions.
2. About 25 refrigerators.
3. Five sets of furniture.
4. Two sets of sitting room chairs.
5. Several air conditioner units.
PREMIUM TIMES exclusively gathered that the three mobile
police officers conducted a systematic looting over a period
of three months beginning from around March 2016, until
they totally stripped the house of all movable items, which
they sold piecemeal to dealers at the Panteka second-hand
materials market in Tipper Garage, Gwarimpa.
Tipper Garage and Panteka market at Gwarimpa are popular
locations for buying and selling of second-hand items in
Abuja
According to a security source involved in the investigation,
by the time family members of the former president were
made aware of the looting early this month, the house had
been stripped bare.
On getting wind of the arrest of the policemen, two dealers
who had been the main recipients of the stolen items were
said to have closed down their shops at Panteka market and
have since remained at large.
THE LOOTING
The looting was discovered when a neighbour noticed
“severe damage to the house” and called a member of Mr.
Jonathan’s family to ask whether the house was undergoing
renovation.
The former president was said to have personally gone to
inspect the property after which he reported the
vandalization to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim
Idris.
After a team of officers dispatched to the scene confirmed
the crime, Mr. Idris was said to have ordered the arrest of
the three police officers who were still on guard duty at the
residence.
A trader at the Panteka market, who confessed to being
close to one of the fleeing buyers of the stolen items, was
interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES undercover reporter.
According to the trader who declined to be named, the
police officers first brought some items to the market for
sale in early 2016.
“It all started sometimes around March 2016 when a mobile
police sergeant came to Tipper Garage market and brought
some items for sale. He approached one of the wholesalers
to buy them, but the trader said he does not buy items from
an unconfirmed owner,” he said.
“He identified himself as Sergeant Musa and told the trader
that he was one of the security men guarding Mr. Jonathan’s
private residence at Gwarimpa. He told the trader to follow
him to confirm that he was not a thief who had come to sell
off stolen properties in the market.
“The trader followed him to the residence where he met two
other policemen, an inspector and a sergeant. They
convinced him that the items were part of gifts to them.”
The source told PREMIUM TIMES that it was not long before
he noticed that the stream of transaction had no end, as the
Sergeant Musa continued to invite the trader to the
residence to pick up fresh items.
“At a point, the trader became scared when he suspected
foul play and told Sergeant Musa that he was no longer
interested in the transaction,” he said.
He said Mr. Musa however got another customer, a
wholesaler in the market, who would eventually buy almost
80 per cent of all the properties removed from Mr.
Jonathan’s residence.
When PREMIUM TIMES’ undercover reporter went to the
Tipper Garage market, he found out that both the purchase
and resale of the items were not hidden, as many of the
traders were aware of the racket.
“Whenever particular or specific items of our interest were
brought for sale from Mr. Jonathan’s residence, we used to
buy from the wholesaler who bought them in large
quantity,” a trader said.
A petty trader at the market said he witnessed the sale of
one of the sets of furniture.
“The policeman sold one to the wholesaler who is now on
the run at N50, 000.00. The wholesaler sold it at N180,000.00
to a lucky buyer in the market who in turn instantly sold it at
N390,000.00.
“I personally bought babban riga, and a suit with Jonathan’s
name printed underneath it at the cost of N5,000.00 each.”
The petty trader, who claimed to be an apprentice at Tipper
Garage, said they were scared when they heard that the
three police officers had been arrested in connection with
the theft of the properties from Mr. Jonathan’s residence.

Premium Times.EXCLUSIVE: Ex-President Jonathan’s House Burgled

An Abuja home of former President Goodluck Jonathan has been burgled, PREMIUM TIMES can confirm.

However, in what appears a curious twist, the house was not burgled by known thieves, but by police officers assigned to guard the house.

The Nigeria Police have thus arrested three of its officers for stealing items valued at several millions of naira from the Abuja residence of the former president.

The items were alleged to have been stolen by the officers from the residence located at No. 89, Fourth Avenue in the Gwarimpa district of Abuja.

They include sets of furniture, dozens of plasma television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioner units and box-loads of clothes such as designer suits imprinted with the former president’s name, male and female Ijaw traditional attires, lace materials and bowler hats.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively gathered that the three mobile police officers conducted a systematic looting over a period of three months beginning from around March 2016, until they totally stripped the house of all movable items, which they sold piecemeal to dealers at the Panteka second-hand materials market in Tipper Garage, Gwarimpa.

Mr. Jonathan’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, confirmed the theft to PREMIUM TIMES. He also confirmed that the affected officers have been arrested.

According to a security source involved in the investigation, by the time family members of the former president were made aware of the looting early this month, the house had been stripped bare.

On getting wind of the arrest of the policemen, two dealers who had been the main recipients of the stolen items were said to have closed down their shops at Panteka market and have since remained at large.

Mr. Jonathan had lived in the house for about a year when he was vice president. His mother was said to have assumed residence there after Mr. Jonathan moved to the Aso Rock Villa upon becoming Acting President in 2010.
Ex-President Jonathan’s house

PREMIUM TIMES could not ascertain when and the reason Mr. Jonathan’s mother vacated the residence, leaving it under security guard of the police.

THE LOOTING

Our investigations revealed that the looting was discovered when a neighbour noticed “severe damage to the house” and called a member of Mr. Jonathan’s family to ask whether the house was undergoing renovation.

The former president was said to have personally gone to inspect the property after which he reported the vandalization to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

After a team of officers dispatched to the scene confirmed the crime, Mr. Idris was said to have ordered the arrest of the three police officers who were still on guard duty at the residence.

“They were arrested about two weeks ago,” the police source familiar with the development told this newspaper last Tuesday.

A trader at the Panteka market, who confessed to being close to one of the fleeing buyers of the stolen items, was interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES undercover reporter.

According to the trader who declined to be named, the police officers first brought some items to the market for sale in early 2016.

“It all started sometimes around March 2016 when a mobile police sergeant came to Tipper Garage market and brought some items for sale. He approached one of the wholesalers to buy them, but the trader said he does not buy items from an unconfirmed owner,” he said.

“He identified himself as Sergeant Musa and told the trader that he was one of the security men guarding Mr. Jonathan’s private residence at Gwarimpa. He took the trader to follow him to confirm that he was not a thief who had come to sell off stolen properties in the market.

“The trader followed him to the residence where he met two other policemen, an inspector and a sergeant. They convinced him that the items were part of gifts to them.”

The source told PREMIUM TIMES that it was not long before he noticed that the stream of transaction had no end, as the Sergeant Musa continued to invite the trader to the residence to pick up fresh items.

“At a point, the trader became scared when he suspected foul play and told Sergeant Musa that he was no longer interested in the transaction,” he said.

He said Mr. Musa however got another customer, a wholesaler in the market, who would eventually buy almost 80 per cent of all the properties removed from Mr. Jonathan’s residence.

SELLING JONATHAN’S PROPERTY

When PREMIUM TIMES’ undercover reporter went to the Tipper Garage market, he found out that both the purchase and resale of the items were not hidden, as many of the traders were aware of the racket.

“Whenever particular or specific items of our interest were brought for sale from Mr. Jonathan’s residence, we used to buy from the wholesaler who bought them in large quantity,” a trader said.

Investigation by PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that the traders sold off the stolen items such as suits, women wears, traditional cloth popularly called ‘babban riga,’ Ankara fabrics at about N5,000.00 apiece and bowler hats. It could, however, not be confirmed how much the bowler hats were sold for.
Ex-President Jonathan’s clothes
Ex-President Jonathan’s clothes
Ex-President Jonathan’s clothes

A petty trader at the market said he witnessed the sale of one of the sets of furniture.

“The policeman sold one to the wholesaler who is now on the run at N50, 000.00. The wholesaler sold it at N180,000.00 to a lucky buyer in the market who in turn instantly sold it at N390,000.00.

“I personally bought babban riga, and a suit with Jonathan’s name printed underneath it at the cost of N5,000.00 each.”

The petty trader, who claimed to be an apprentice at Tipper Garage, said they were scared when they heard that the three police officers had been arrested in connection with the theft of the properties from Mr. Jonathan’s residence.

Tipper Garage and Panteka market at Gwarimpa are popular locations for buying and selling of second-hand items in Abuja.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the spokesperson of the Police FCT Command, Mamza Anjuguri, on phone, he refused to confirm the alleged looting or arrest of the three policemen.

“You should give me time to make some inquiries,” he initially pleaded last week.

He subsequently did not pick the reporter’s calls or reply to his text messages.

The divisional police officer for Gwarimpa also declined to speak with our reporter.

“I cannot talk to the press. You can go and talk with our PPRO,” he said.

LIST OF CLOTHES SAID TO HAVE BEEN STOLEN AND SOLD

1. Niger Delta traditional attires in about 20 Ghana-must-go sacks.

2. Suits, each one with “President Jonathan” inscribed in the inner side, in five big Ghana-must-go sacks.

3. About 10 big Ghana-must-go sacks of women attires made from lace materials sewn in Niger Delta style.

4. More than 10 bundles of Ankara materials, known as Atamfa.

5. About 10 sets of babban riga.

6. One big Ghana-must-go sack containing clothes with PDP logo neatly sewn on each one.

7. About 20 Niger Delta bowler hats.

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND FURNITURE ITEMS

1. 36 Plasma televisions.

2. About 25 refrigerators.

3. Five sets of furniture.

4. Two sets of sitting room chairs.

5. Several air conditioner units.