A 14-year-old student, simply identified as Sulaiman Abubakar, has been apprehended by the security officers at Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba in Ibadan, Oyo State, for allegedly stealing wire and cables within the complex.
Abubakar, a JSS 2 student of Eleyele High School, Ibadan, was said to be pilfering the items in the main bowl of the stadium, on Thursday night.
Investigations by PUNCH Online revealed that he gained entrance into the main-bowl during the training session of the Shooting Star Football Club of Ibadan.
An informed security source told our correspondent that he had confessed that he slept in one of the rooms after the training.
“He (suspect) said, during an interrogation, that he slept in one of the rooms overnight after the security officers securely locked all entrances to the main bowl,” the security source said.
One of the traders, who preferred anonymity, also said, “Upon interrogation, the boy confirmed that he broke the pipes with a big stone to cut the camera cables and wires that connect the canopy light.
“He also admitted that he planned to sell it. And the items stolen, according to people, were estimated to be N300,000.00.”
It was further gathered that the mother of the suspect, who lives at Sabo Area, Mokola, was said to have fainted when she saw her son being handcuffed.
“It took the intervention of the stadium workers to revive her. When she later regained consciousness, she stated that the boy offended her the previous night and he was penalised,” she said.
When contacted, the General Manager of the state Sports Council, Tunde Ajibike, confirmed the incident.
Ajibike said he had since been handed over to the police for further investigations.
“Yes, it was true. The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, has visited the scene of the incident.
“The commissioner, after visiting the stadium for an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by the attempted theft, admonished members of staff of the Sports Council, the landlords of the Stadium, to be more vigilant.
“She said maintenance of security at the stadium is the responsibility of all stakeholders. The commissioner pledged that the State Government will strengthen the security network of the sports complex to guide against future occurrences,” the Sports Council GM said.
