The Lagos State Police Command said it has arrested a chef, Wilfred Amoussou, who allegedly specialises in drugging his employers and absconding with their valuables.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Thursday said the suspect had carried out the act at different times in Ikoyi, Banana Island and Parkview areas of the state.
Hundeyin wrote, “Wilfred Amoussou would take up a job as cook/chef, heavily sedate his employers with a substance called Benzodiazepines and steal their valuables. He has done this to different victims, over the years in Ikoyi, Banana Island and Parkview.
“Some of his previous victims have come forward to identify him. Have you been a victim? If yes, proceed to Ikoyi Police Division for further necessary action.”
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Amoussou, who is from Benin Republic, was arrested on February 20, 2023, after he drugged his colleagues in an attempt to steal from his employer.
A police source, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said his employer, who was away when he drugged his colleagues, returned home and found them in deep sleep.
He said, “His boss came home and saw one of the domestic workers sleeping while standing upright. She called her name but she did not respond which appeared unusual. When she moved close to touch her, she fell and kept sleeping. Out of curiosity, she rushed to call the attention of other workers but saw that they were also sleeping, including the gateman.
“Meanwhile, it was only Amoussou that did not sleep among them. When the employer asked him what happened to his colleagues, he said it was a bad breeze that blew and affected them. The employer then took them to Reddington Hospital where they took their blood samples only to discover that they were drugged by Amoussou.”
The source disclosed that the suspect, who was immediately arrested at the hospital, had stolen valuables worth N30m ranging from jewellery to electronics from one of his previous employers who came to the station to identify him.
“The victim came, confronted him and called his agent who deployed him to his place in 2021. He said the suspect identified himself as Paul when he came to work for him,” he said.
He added that another victim who got to know of his arrest is also being expected from Abuja.
A security expert, Akin Adeyi, urged the government to set up a body that will take up the registration of domestic workers and regulate their employment.
He said, “The problem is a general one. Nigeria does not have a labour office that looks into the affairs of domestic workers. Everyone just employs domestic workers without doing the vetting.
“There should be people who are in charge of doing a background check on the person you want to employ to be sure that such person does not have psychiatric issues or any record of crime. All those things are very important but we do not take cognisance of such things here.
“The relationship we have with our domestic workers is also important. Some treat their domestic workers like animals. This is one part of the world where domestic workers are poorly paid. The same person that will buy a dog for N1m and feed the dog with N150,000 a month will pay N15,000 to his security guard. Another one is the poor relationship with the employee.
“So, it will not be out of place if the government establishes a regulatory body that will make it compulsory for people to come and register their domestic workers. When they are done with the registration, the data collected will be subjected to verification. The body will also look into their well-being and intervene where necessary.”
