A 14-year-old student, identified as Sulaiman Abubakar, was caught by security officers for allegedly stealing wire and cables at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Abubakar, a JSS 2 student at Eleyele High School, was said to be stealing items in the stadium on Thursday night.
Investigations revealed that he entered the main bowl of the stadium during a training session for the Shooting Star Football Club of Ibadan. A security source said, “He (the suspect) confessed that he slept in one of the rooms after the training.”
The security source added, “During an interrogation, he said 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 them. The items stolen were estimated to be worth N300,000.00.”
A trader, who wished to remain anonymous, also shared, “Upon interrogation, the boy confirmed his actions and explained how he carried out the theft.”
When Abubakar’s mother, who lives in the Sabo Area of Mokola, saw her son being handcuffed, she reportedly fainted. It took the intervention of stadium workers to help her regain consciousness. After she woke up, she mentioned, “The boy offended me the previous night, and I penalized him.”
The General Manager of the state Sports Council, Tunde Ajibike, confirmed the incident, stating, “Yes, it is true. The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, has visited the scene of the incident. After assessing the damage caused by the attempted theft, the commissioner advised staff of the Sports Council to be more vigilant.”
Ajibike added, “The commissioner pledged that the State Government will strengthen the security network of the sports complex to prevent future occurrences.”
