The official residence of Ghana’s Ambassador to Nigeria has been burgled by unknown assailants, who made away with valuables including television sets, gas cylinders, and bags of rice, according to Punch Nigeria.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, July 11, at the envoy’s residence in the upscale Maitama area of Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
Sources at the residence told reporters that the intruders gained access by cutting through the protective wire on the perimeter fence before breaking the back door to enter the property.
When a reporter visited the scene on Saturday, the portion of the fence breached by the burglars had been cordoned off with crime scene tape.
A domestic staff member recounted the sequence of events, suggesting that a temporary power outage may have facilitated the break-in.
“Around 2am that day, there was a power cut, so I went to the back to switch on the generator. About 10 minutes later, electricity was restored, so I went back to turn off the generator,” the staff member explained.
“At about 5am, I went around to check and saw that a window was open. One of the burglary-proof rods had been removed. I checked the back door and found it open too.
“I then noticed that the wires on the fence had been cut. That was when I called the police officer on duty from his room. They took away two plasma TV sets, gas cylinders, and two bags of rice.”
Police Begin Probe
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria has confirmed the incident. Spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa described the case as a burglary and confirmed that an official investigation is underway.
“It was a burglary issue that happened last week. The police have started an investigation,” Ebienfa told reporters.
Similarly, the spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, Josephine Adeh, confirmed that the Commissioner of Police had personally visited the crime scene.
“The Commissioner of Police was there, and we are investigating,” she said.
The break-in has raised concerns about the security of diplomatic premises in Abuja, particularly in high-security areas like Maitama. Police say efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend the culprits.
