Exclusive: Owner of Stolen Laptop Narrates Ordeal

UCJ: Can we know your name sir?

OK. My names are Shonaya Adewale Tosin but I'm popularly known as Junny.

UCJ: Mr Junny, recently there was a case of Laptop theft. We heard your laptop was allegedly stolen by a member of the faculty of Law and it got viral and everyone got to hear about it. Can you tell us your own perspective of the whole story. What really happened, what transpired and why you think that the particular suspect stole your laptop?

Junny: It happened on Monday. I can't remember the date. I think that should be either 15th or 16th. I can't remember the date. At the Faculty of Law Library, the E-section. Actually, it's a known thing that non-law students are not allowed into the faculty of Law library. So, all of us that were inside the library were all law students. So that particular day, I went to charge my system in the library because it is a normal thing for us to charge our stuffs there and go and come back and meet our stuffs there. I went to charge my system in the library. It was around 3pm or so. When I want to charge, I didn't see space. Then, this alleged suspect actually told me to charge beside him and I did so. Then later on, I went downstairs to pick some stuffs or to do some stuffs. Before I came back, I didn't meet my system. I only met the charger. The reason why I believe that person who I suspected to be the one to have taken the system was because:

First, when I got back to where I was charging my system, that person that was present before I left was still there apart from this suspected person. Second, when I got there and I didn't find him, we called his number but it was switched off and that was when I got to realise that this same person has had series of theft issues. That he was even caught last semester when he stole a faculty of Law student's laptop. And this is my future in the school. This is my 4th year in the school. Since 100level, I have been keeping my things in the library. We go for lectures, we come back and still meet out things there. Even that said morning, I left my system in the library. I went to the bank—from the bank, I went to register for GNS 312. I came back and I met my system. Sometimes, they have even locked my system like twice or thrice in the library and I came back and found my system in the library. So the library is a very very safe place to keep your things and you will meet them. So how come it was that day he was sitting down beside me and when I came back, I didn't meet him again. Furthermore, people that were around—law students...said he was acting suspiciously. He said he was going home, he left and came back again. When he was leaving, he had something wrapped in his suit and he left. Immediately I got to the library and found out that my system was not in the library, I quickly ran to the librarian to ask if they had taken the system because sometimes they seize our gadgets because we are charging in a wrong place. When I asked, they said they didn't take it that if my system is missing, it will be among my colleagues because no student of any other faculty entered the library. Every other person I left there was there. It was later they told me of his past acts and precedents. I tried his number, it was switched off. I immediately had to send a broadcast message on anybody who knows where his hostel is. Fortunately, I got someone, the person that wants to take me to his hostel. This person was even someone that found out about the last theft issue where the alleged person stole a system in the school hostel—Lagos Boys Hostel. It was this guy (that volunteered to take me to his place) and some other people that went to his (alleged) hostel off-campus then and found a system in his bag. So I went to meet the guy who took me to the alleged person's place. When we got to his place, he was not around. He didn't sleep over and we tried to contact him, but all in vain. So everything just falls on him. Faculty of Law library, everything is safe. The system can not just evaporate like that. Even those that were there will attest to it. He was just moving around in the library. That's the reason why we are suspecting him.

UCJ: So, apart from going to his house, what other step did you take?

Junny: At first, the first thing that came to my mind was going to his place. So when I got to his place and did not see him, it was in the evening. It happened around 6pm/7pm. From his place I went back to my hostel. The following morning, I came to school around 8am/9am to report the issue in the faculty since it happened in the faculty because I thought the faculty might do something about it. The faculty directed me to go to Security Division. I made my claim and told them I have a suspect. So they asked me if I can contact him but I told them I can't. That I went to his hostel, he didn't sleep over in his hostel. So they (security unit) told me to find a link to contact him or if I see him, I should bring him over to the security post. That was all.

UCJ: So far, have you been able to see him or taken any other step in getting your system back?

Junny: Yes, the Tuesday I went to the security post, he didn't come to school. So on Wednesday morning, I saw him in school. Then we spoke and I asked him if he took my system, he said "No". So I told him to let us go to the security post because I have been told that whenever you come around, I should bring you over. So I took him to the security post. I wrote my statement, he wrote his statement. It was very funny when I got there. They were like, "This boy again". It dawned on me that this guy has had series of cases at the security post. They were even convinced already by merely seeing him. They alleged him to have had cases with them before and he doesn't want to change. He kept on denying and denying that he did nothing. And that was all.

UCJ: Apart from writing your statement, what step has the school taken in order for you to recover your system back?

Junny: Right now, there's not really been anything. The only thing that happened at the security post was that we were been asked to write our statements. That they will transfer the case to SDC - Student Disciplinary Committee. That's all I heard from them. Nothing else again.

Akinyemi Muhammed
UCJ, UNILORIN.

Credit to:

Heritage for the transcription, and to Olamide for coordination.