Speaker’s Orderly Arrested Over iPad Theft

Detectives from Rivers State Police Command have arrested the orderly attached to the Speaker, Rivers House of Assembly, Sergeant Abraham Sampson for allegedly stealing an Apple iPad belonging to the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Leyii Kwanee.

The police orderly was said to have been arrested last Monday, and is currently under detention at the Criminal Investigation Bureau cell at the headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt for interrogations.

The Tide gathered that the suspect was accused by the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly for stealing an iPad and other accessories belonging to him.

An authoritive source close to the Speaker told The Tide that, trouble started when the Deputy Speaker noticed that the iPad was missing in the Christmas gift sent to him by the Speaker, Rt Hon Otelemaba Amachree through the police orderly.

The source further disclosed that when the Deputy Speaker accosted the suspect, he denied knowledge of the missing items.

The Tide learnt that the Ipad was contained in the Christmas packs given to members of the State House of Assembly by the state Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, last year.

The Tide further learnt that the Deputy Speaker became furious when he learnt that other members of the House had their own Ipad intact in their packs. This forced him to report the matter officially to the police for investigation.

However, luck ran out of the police suspect, when one of his colleagues saw him with the Ipad in Jerusalem during the last pilgrimage and came back to Port Harcourt to report him to the Deputy Speaker and other staffers of the speaker.

Although, the police officer was said to have made frantic efforts to secretly return the said Ipad to the Deputy Speaker office, was rebuffed by the high surveillance mounted by the security team attached to the Deputy Speaker.

When contacted on phone, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ben Ugwugbulam declined to speak but said he would contact the reporter later.

However, a close source from the police headquarters said the suspect has given confessional statements on the matter.

According to him, the orderly admitted stealing the Ipad just because he wanted to use it to capture events of his interest at the Holy land, Jerusalem during the pilgrimage.

Also reacting to our reporter’s enquires, the Special Adviser to the Speaker, state House of Assembly, Mr Jim Udede-Opiki confirmed the matter, saying an  internal investigative mechanism has been out in place. He said that the police suspect would be reprimanded if found culpable.

President Goodluck Jonathan (left), being received by President Mohamad Morsi of Egypt on his arrival for the 12th session of the Organisation Of Islamic conference in Cairo on Wednesday