₦airaland Forum

Hi,

I'm quite new to here and I have some few important questions.

Would it be possible to report a thieving family over a petty theft case to the Police. Would it be treated as an actual case or in material legal sense, it'd be thrashed?

And also, in the Nigerian context, in the Nigerian police or relevant body's context, given that the culprit is a family member, an older one at that, would they but brush it aside and see it as opportunity to extort only without any actual action because 'yeah, don't do it now' sort of thing?

The culprit in question is older and had often been engaging in petty stealing of what doesn't belong to him, not actually because the victim or victim(s) don't provide for him financially or and more, or that he himself doesn't have a lot himself, but often out of wickedness and the sheer believe that he'd do it and get away with it.

This is a person that not only abused me verbally and physically as well in most humiliating manners. E.g. when I was still an undergrad, this same person realized I got fund from scholarship, he's older and comfortably richer would then come up with excuses, abuses and insults and irresponsibilities to extort the money from me, and so much more, financial-wise.

I would try to do whatever that is good, but because it didn't come from him, because he's the supposed older, would vehemently go against it, say it's impossible and words like "if you try it, you'd regret it" and lines like that. And such various actions like, maybe setting up a structure, e.g. a well-made wooden chair, but the next day, that's when he'd realize he has missed cooking with firewood and would use the chair to make fire.

He's the supposed older, so hardly anyone questions him. In fact, he's so good at eye service and acting like an emotionally sensitive thing that my female siblings would even be justifying his actions with laughter. Using that chair scenario for example, sister A would simply laugh it off like "you too, you don't expect him to cook firewood that he misses? He really tells me good things about you and appreciates you", and laughs it off. Sister B too would say "ugh. He has good words, he is emotional."

The occurrence that happened recently, I repeat, it is very petty, less than 5,000N worth of theft, but it wasn't the item stolen, it was the wickedness beneath it that he knew it belonged to me, knew it wasn't his, but intentionally took it, and when confronted was like "I can't believe [the victim] is saying this to me."

He knew exactly what he did, he had done scenarios like this way too often, usually intentionally, like there are two similar items, one category belongs to everyone in general, but the unique singular one that a victim owns, he'd steal it and when asked, he'd form clueless and that it should be forgotten about.

I wouldn't like this to continue. Not that he should be ultimately prosecuted, but for him to see that you can't act wickedly always and get away with it, especially when it involves crime be it petty. Crime has no other name, it is crime.

So, I beseech once again, based on various Nigeria contexts, how feasible is it to report this case, would it be played down, or would they want to "domestic-counsel" instead? How may I go about it?

I'd appreciate answers please.

Thanks in anticipation.

OneOnland:
Hi,

I'm quite new to here and I have some few important questions.

Would it be possible to report a thieving family over a petty theft case to the Police. Would it be treated as an actual case or in material legal sense, it'd be thrashed?

And also, in the Nigerian context, in the Nigerian police or relevant body's context, given that the culprit is a family member, an older one at that, would they but brush it aside and see it as opportunity to extort only without any actual action because 'yeah, don't do it now' sort of thing?

The culprit in question is older and had often been engaging in petty stealing of what doesn't belong to him, not actually because the victim or victim(s) don't provide for him financially or and more, or that he himself doesn't have a lot himself, but often out of wickedness and the sheer believe that he'd do it and get away with it.

This is a person that not only abused me verbally and physically as well in most humiliating manners. E.g. when I was still an undergrad, this same person realized I got fund from scholarship, he's older and comfortably richer would then come up with excuses, abuses and insults and irresponsibilities to extort the money from me, and so much more, financial-wise.

I would try to do whatever that is good, but because it didn't come from him, because he's the supposed older, would vehemently go against it, say it's impossible and words like "if you try it, you'd regret it" and lines like that. And such various actions like, maybe setting up a structure, e.g. a well-made wooden chair, but the next day, that's when he'd realize he has missed cooking with firewood and would use the chair to make fire.

He's the supposed older, so hardly anyone questions him. In fact, he's so good at eye service and acting like an emotionally sensitive thing that my female siblings would even be justifying his actions with laughter. Using that chair scenario for example, sister A would simply laugh it off like "you too, you don't expect him to cook firewood that he misses? He really tells me good things about you and appreciates you", and laughs it off. Sister B too would say "ugh. He has good words, he is emotional."

The occurrence that happened recently, I repeat, it is very petty, less than 5,000N worth of theft, but it wasn't the item stolen, it was the wickedness beneath it that he knew it belonged to me, knew it wasn't his, but intentionally took it, and when confronted was like "I can't believe [the victim] is saying this to me."

He knew exactly what he did, he had done scenarios like this way too often, usually intentionally, like there are two similar items, one category belongs to everyone in general, but the unique singular one that a victim owns, he'd steal it and when asked, he'd form clueless and that it should be forgotten about.

I wouldn't like this to continue. Not that he should be ultimately prosecuted, but for him to see that you can't act wickedly always and get away with it, especially when it involves crime be it petty. Crime has no other name, it is crime.

So, I beseech once again, based on various Nigeria contexts, how feasible is it to report this case, would it be played down, or would they want to "domestic-counsel" instead? How may I go about it?

I'd appreciate answers please.

Thanks in anticipation.

This your story is too long. Nigerian police will eat your money and tell you to settle. If you value yourself, the relationship has to end. Such a person shouldn't be anywhere around you for the sake of your sanity. If it means moving out of the house, it's a price worth paying.

Some ignorant folks will tell you that blood is thicker than water, meanwhile they've never walked in your shoes . If you like, believe them and allow a pig to drag you into the mud.

Good luck 🤞

ZaRuleOfLaw:
This your story is too long. Nigerian police will eat your money and tell you to settle. If you value yourself, the relationship has to end. Such a person shouldn't be anywhere around you for the sake of your sanity. If it means moving out of the house, it's a price worth paying.

Some ignorant folks will tell you that blood is thicker than water, meanwhile they've never walked in your shoes . If you like, believe them and allow a pig to drag you into the mud.

Good luck 🤞

Yes, this story is too long. My bad.


Thank you so much for this 🙏.

I have a stake in that house, quite a big stake actually, renovations and additional building. I know I made a mistake in which I repent getting involved in 'house mustn't spoil, you build up' ideology. So, to myself now, during my stay in the town, I'm trying to live out the equivalence of the expenses by telling myself that I'm offsetting the house rent.

But now that you said this, I think I would have to rework my mentality, forget about staying there totally and keep our relations further at wide arms length, and tell key people in the family about it to enforce it.

Thank you so much. 🙏 Sanity over what may be legal/correct.