Adesina Janet, an employee of FoodCo Nigeria Limited accused of defrauding the company of ₦18,728,967, has demanded evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Janet, who spoke to PIJAlance on Tuesday, four days after she satisfied her bail conditions and was released in Agodi Correctional Centre, detailed her ordeal while maintaining her innocence.
Recalled PIJAlance earlier reported that the accusations stem from a missing transaction of ₦24,785 that occurred on Monday, December 16, 2024.
According to Janet, her supervisor only brought up the issue the following day, by which time her name was not associated with the transaction.
In a 20-minute call with PIJAlance, Janet narrated: “The matter happened on Monday, December 16. On Tuesday, December 17, my supervisor asked how many closings (all the sales I recorded for the day) I had on Monday. I said one. My account was balanced on Monday. Then he asked me about a transaction that was not closed on Monday. I told my supervisor my account was balanced, and I had no pending transactions.”
Janet explained that her supervisor attempted to access the disputed transaction but found no record of goods sold or the identity of the seller.
“It was only showing ₦24,785 as pending. My name was not on it,” she said.
She further stated that her branch manager, Abraham Oriafoh, initially agreed to give her until Thursday to resolve the issue but later escalated the matter to top management.
“On Thursday, he sent an email accusing me of the ₦24,785 fraud and copied all our bosses at the Ring Road branch in Ibadan. I immediately replied to the email, denying the allegations,” Janet recounted.
Janet insisted she did not use the system implicated in the missing transaction. “We have three systems for cashiers. The ₦24,785 transaction happened on system two, but I used system three on December 16,” she clarified.
Despite her claims, Agunloye Oluwaseun Opeyemi, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of FoodCo, accused her of leaving her system to use another cashier’s system to perpetrate the fraud. While the CSO claimed CCTV footage supported his allegations, Janet said she was denied access to the footage.
On Friday, December 20, Janet faced a disciplinary panel at the Ring Road branch, where most members declared her guilty without corresponding evidence. She was subsequently arrested and detained for five days at Iyaganku Police Station without a trial.
By Tuesday, December 24, Janet was arraigned at Iyaganku Magistrate Court on charges of ₦18,728,967 fraud, based on a case filed by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police. The charge, signed by Iyaganku Divisional Police Officer CSP Daniel Oboyi, accused Janet of stealing from FoodCo since 2022.
Janet refuted the claim, stating:
“The CSO and their lawyer kept accusing me of stealing since I joined in 2022. But I didn’t even join as a cashier. I started as an associate attending to customers in the supermarket and only became a cashier in early 2023 because of my computer literacy.”
Janet continues to demand access to the purported CCTV footage and other evidence. She asserts that she is being unfairly accused and insists that her innocence will be proven if the facts are objectively reviewed.
FoodCo Nigeria Limited has yet to provide a public response to the allegations.
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