Vanguard Exclusive report: Apprentice absconds with employer’s N1.9m

As he walked into the Kirikiri canal, Apapa, Lagos corporate headquarters of Vanguard Media , it was obvious that all was not well with Mr Tony Nsiamuna, as later identified , following the conspicuous gloomy expression on his face. This was followed by his starling disclosure of how one of his apprentices bolted away with N1.95m , last October. His tale depicted that of betrayal of trust and confidence by the fleeing apprentice . Distraught Nsiamuna traced the genesis of his encounter with the fleeing suspect ,Peter Ekene Okwuazu, to three years ago ,when he discovered they were from same state, Delta.


 Moved by compassion , coupled with plea from his wife, he agreed to assist Ekene with a surgery of a turmoil in his mouth, without any suspicion that his kind gesture was only an invitation for trouble ahead. One would have ordinarily expected Okuwazu, 24 , to reciprocate this gesture but as you read this piece , he is apparently living large with his benefactor’s N1.95 m.



Narrating how Okwuazu allegedly absconded with his money, despondent Nsiamuna, said “ After taking him to the hospital where the tumour was surgically removed and his health restored, my wife and I decided to employ him in our cold room . We did this out of pity because his uncle who was his guardian had passed away. “ But on October 26, 2015, I sent him to a bank very close to my place of business to make a deposit of N1, 994.000. Instead of making the deposit as instructed, he absconded with the money. Apprehension set in when he did not return . I called his mobile phone but discovered it was switched off.

 “That same day, the matter was reported at the Ikotun Police Station. The Police swung into action by visiting his apartment at Olu Oluwawunmi street, by Praise bus-stop, Ijegun ,Lagos. A search was conducted , only to discover that he had moved his belongings”. Crime Guard gathered that preliminary investigation showed that the suspect could have conceived the act long ago, as a visit to the network provider revealed that he registered his telephone number with a fake name and address , as well as the photograph of another person.

 All effort to trail him has been hampered by this development . Consequently the police have declared Okwuazu wanted. A statement by the Lagos State Police Command to this effect, read “Ekene Peter Okwuazu is 24 years of age, 5ft tall, fair in complexion, a stammerer and hails from Ubulu-uku in the Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta state. He speaks Igbo, Yoruba and English. Anyone with information on him should report to the nearest police station “.