Waiter Accuses Owner Of Popular Restaurant In Lekki Of Beating Him Up Over Alleged N21k Theft

A waiter at the The Harvest restaurant in Lekki, Lagos, Nwaogur Justus, has accused the owner of the restaurant, Louis, of battering him over an alleged N21, 000 theft.

In an interview with LIB, Justus said

”On that Sunday I resumed for work. It was a busy day as it always is on Sundays. So, I resumed on that day and I served so many people. I served this particular couple whose bill was N21, 000. They offered to pay with their ATM card and so I got them the POS machine. After the payment, I was still having the POS machine and the printout with me when another guest called my attention. I attended to them and also went on three errands before returning to the cashier to drop the POS printout. When I got to cashier, I found out that the printout wasn’t with me anymore. I might have dropped it while I was doing other errands. I was still had the POS machine I used for the transaction.

So I called the colleague and I asked for the last transaction on the POS to be printed out which was the N21, 000. They printed the same thing out and we closed the table like we normally do. This incident happened at about 3-4pm. At about 9pm, my boss called me that I should give him the N21, 000 I stole from him. i told him I have no knowledge of any N21, 000. He asked me to follow him to his office. Immediately we got into the elevator, he began to punch me. He said there was a shortfall in the cash made for the day and as they were going through the bills, they noticed that I closed the table with a reprinted POS paper. I told him yes that I misplaced the first printout and I asked a colleague, Smith, to help me reprint. I asked him if he had gone to check if the particular payment wasnt’t in the accounts. He just took laws into his hands and started beating me. He later sent some people to beg me. He threatened to send me locked up for three to four months”.

Justus alleged that his former boss had been in the habit of attacking his staff. He says he would want to pusue the case to get justice. According to him, he would report the case to the police once he gets a doctor’s report.

LIB reached out to the owner of the restaurant, Louis Zilla, who denied the allegations.

According to Louis, Justus stole some money from the company on the said day and while he was being questioned, he took off and jumped into the next compound.

”He jumped off the electric fence into the next compound where the people there almost lynched him. It was my security men that alerted me that one of our staff with our restaurant apron was being manhandled. I went there and was able to rescue him. When he came into the restaurant, his bag was searched and money was found in it. He began  to plead for me not to take him to the police station that he was a family man. I allowed him go and asked him to come the next day so we could sort out the issue. Up till today, he hasn’t appeared here nor has he reported the matter to the police. I do not lay my hands on my staff” Lousi said