Detained for Five Days, FoodCo Employee Charged N18m Fraud over N24k Missing Transaction
Note: this report has been corrected to change the first paragraph where "Adesina Grace" was written instead of "Adesina Janet."
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Sonubi Ayodele, has filed a two-count felony charge against Adesina Janet, an employee of FoodCo Nigeria Limited’s Monatan branch in the state.
According to a viral audio message, pictures, videos, and the charging document exclusively obtained by PIJAlance, the charges stem from an allegation by Janet’s store manager of FoodCo’s Monatan branch, Abraham Oriafoh, who alleges she stole ₦24,785 on December 16, 2024.

Janet reportedly faced a panel last Friday at the FoodCo’s branch in Ring Road, Ibadan, where she denied the allegations and requested a deeper investigation. However, Janet’s statement was not considered. She was handed over to the police and jailed on the same day at the Iyaganku police station.
Despite denying the allegations, Janet was transferred to Agodi Prison on Tuesday after she was ‘hurriedly’ arraigned before a magistrate court in Ibadan.

In the charge filed against Janet with charge no: MI/1706C/2024, between Commissioner Of Police Oyo State and Janet Adesina and which was signed by one CSP Daniel Oboyi the Divisional Police Officer, Iyaganku, the Commissioner alleges in Magistrate Court 1, Iyaganku that the worth of goods stolen by Janet is now ₦18,728,967 from the initial ₦24,785 claims.
The charge partly reads that Janet allegedly committed a felony to wit by “conspiring together…to Stealing, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II Law of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.” Adding, “that…Adesina Janet did steal goods valued the sum of ₦18,728,967:82k only, property of Foodco Nigeria Limited.”
Since the Tuesday Magistrate Court proceedings, Janet has been remanded in the Agodi police cell, with no explanation on how the allegation of ₦24,785 theft increased to ₦18,728,967 in five days. Janet has yet to be proven guilty of any charge or claims.
The magistrate court has also granted an ₦8m bail to Janet with two sureties, having the property worth of ₦8m. Janet can only hope for justice while in jail, as her next trial is slated for March 24, 2025.

BACKGROUND
Before Janet was arrested, she did an audio message to a colleague (name withheld) explaining the circumstances around the alleged theft and her innocence.
In the audio message which PIJAlance obtained, Janet said, “When I got to the office normally on Wednesday (December 18, 2024), I did not even know anything; a colleague mentioned a transaction that wasn’t closed on ICG (a FoodCo software for products checking) and was pending. The transaction allegedly involved ₦24,785 but did not display the name of the person who sold it. I checked my ICG records, and no such transaction appeared under my account, so I left it since my account was complete in the previous day.”
On Thursday (December 19, 2024), Janet narrated that Mr Oriafoh, the FoodCo’s Monatan branch manager, said her name appears on the ₦24,785 missing transaction done at 6.40pm on December 16, previously mentioned.
Janet said the manager emphasised that the transaction appears on the distribution of another FoodCo’s branch at Koko Mall, Dugbe, Ibadan. Worthy of note, until her arrest, Janet works at FoodCo’s Monatan branch and Dugbe to Monatan is roughly 12km distance, according to Google map.
Janet also said all her supervisors could not explain how her name would appear on products sold in another branch of FoodCo where she never worked.
She noted in the audio message that Oriafoh’s alleged statements were inconsistent, adding that FoodCo’s Monatan branch operates three Tills (cashier stands). She said on December 16, she used Till 3, but the missing transaction was done with her account on Till 2. Her surprise came to the fore when she checked all three Tills and found no ₦24,785 transaction done at 6.40pm with her name.
Janet has also said although nobody knows her system password, her passcode is saved on the FoodCo’s ICG system at Monatan branch.

However, unconcerned about Janet’s explanations, Mr Oriafoh on Thursday wrote Janet through an email, accusing her of failing to remit a transaction worth ₦24,785, comprising ₦23,000 in card payments and ₦1,785 in cash on December 16, 2024. He attached a document showing the products sold, after what he called a thorough investigation with the head of FoodCo’s I.T.

The products were: Ziploc Double Zipper 54Bags—₦18,488.37, Staycool Body Spray Blues 150ml—₦1,750.00, Dettol Anti-bacterial Original Soap 160G—₦950.00, Dettol Anti-bacterial Cool Soap 160G—₦950.00, Mentos Gum Freshmint 155G—₦1,260.00—all totalling ₦24,785, including taxes—₦1,386.63.
Mr Oriafoh, in the email obtained by PIJAlance, said an investigation done with the head of the I.T department at the FoodCo Monatan branch found Janet to possibly be guilty of the allegation.
The email partly reads: “It was observed on the 16th of December on ICG that there was a sale of ₦24,785 in un-reconciled sales. Shop-floor total sales on ICG are expected to have been ₦3,543,492.93, but ₦3,518,707.90 was reconciled, leaving us with a reconciliation difference of ₦24,785. After a thorough investigation with the Head of I.T., it was observed that this sale was a hidden sale sold on distribution and, as such, couldn’t reflect on your Z closing. These actions are obscure to me and interpreted as alleged fraud, contrary to our policy.”
In response, Janet denied the allegations and requested a thorough investigation, emphasizing that she had never engaged in fraudulent activity. In her written reply, she stated: “I would like to clarify that I did not sell any such item, nor did I receive any transaction related to it. Based on my records, all my sales align with the information available in the ICG. This situation may be due to a system error, and I kindly request a thorough investigation into the matter.”

Meanwhile, several staff members of FoodCo have consistently complained about the company’s incessant system malfunctioning. “But it is only terminals they often change, leaving the systems constantly giving the cashiers problems,” a staff who would not love to be named for fear of being sacked said. PIJAlance has not been able to independently confirm this.
Declined Requests
PIJAlance contacted Mr Oriafoh to question how ₦24,785 turned into ₦18,728,967 fraud allegation against Janet. He declined the request to comment on the matter, stating PIJAlance can only speak to the Human Resources Department.
Subsequent calls were left unanswered. However, 35 minutes later, Mr Oriafoh hurriedly told FoodCo’s Chief Security Officer, Agunloye Opeyemi Oluwaseun, about PIJAlance’s request, and CSO Oluwaseun called, querying us to state reasons we have to ask questions.

Oluwaseun, who only identified as ThinkTall and refused to reveal his identity but was later found out through our investigation, declined to comment on the matter. He insisted on official documents before he could speak to us or provide us with the CCTV footage showing the activities on December 16, 2024. This is despite our correspondent identifying to him as a journalist. Further calls placed on his line were ignored.
Repeated calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Adewale Osifeso were not answered.
PIJAlance will continue to follow this case closely, seeking further clarification from all parties involved.
Read Also: Despite Over ₦60bn Financial Commitments, Darkness Plagues Oyo State’s Light-Up Project