Burglars cart away 98 computers in college in Ondo

A POPULAR missionary school in Akure metropolis, St Thomas Aquinas College, was burgled a fortnight ago by some unidentified burglars who broke into the computer laboratory and carted away 98 units of computers and other accessories.

After a visit to the school, The Guardian learnt that the criminals broke into the secondary school compound through the back-gate without being noticed by the two watchmen and security personnel guarding the school compound.

The college, which was founded on September 14, 1951, according to an alumnus who preferred anonymity, has never experienced any recorded theft of that magnitude.

He revealed that the particular gate that was used as entrance and exit had never been opened for anybody for the six years he spent in the school as a student.

The Principal of the College, Ayebiowu Babasola, who was visibly worried while talking to The Guardian, lamented the theft, disclosing that the culprits dismantled the four locks to gain entrance into the laboratory.

He further disclosed that all the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) gadgets for all the computers, provided for the school by the Federal Government and installed recently, were also carted away by the unidentified rogues.

He said the case has been reported to the police, in whose custody the two night guards were invited for interrogation.

This is the second time in the past four weeks that a public secondary would be burgled with the thieves carting away properties belonging to the government and for the general use of the public.

There was a reported case of such theft at Methodist High School, Okitipupa, in Okitipupa Local Council on July 26, where the watchmen, Thompson Olajorin, was brutally matcheted to death and Ogunwa Fadope sustained serious injury while trying to resist the burglars.

During the incident, The Guardian gathered that the hoodlums carted away two flat screen computers, three keyboards, two CPUs, one colour and black/white printers, one teachers’ laptop, 41 Zinox (Notebook Blue) computers, 88 Brain Notebooks (white), 189 laptop chargers and one server.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, confirmed the burglary and theft, saying that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Command has swung into action to arrest the culprits.