According to Metro UK, which reported the case on Thursday, Damiro moved to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years.

Janet Olufunke Damiro, a 71-year-old Nigerian grandmother, has been dismissed from her cleaning job at the London School of Economics after being accused of stealing a bracelet — an item she says she simply forgot to hand in.

According to Metro UK, which reported the case on Thursday, Damiro moved to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years.

She explained that she found a gold bracelet during her shift and placed it in her purse, intending to hand it in later.

When questioned by management three days later, she returned the bracelet but was still suspended and eventually dismissed in April for gross misconduct.

“I can’t sleep. I have never had a bad record or been to HR before in my life,” Damiro said. “LSE have treated me really badly. It was my only job, and I loved working there. I never expected to be suspended or dismissed.

I did not steal this thing. If I see any items, I always hand them over. This is the first time in my life I have had a problem like this since I came to this country. It is really bugging me.”

Over 70 of her colleagues, including three supervisors, have written to the LSE management in support of her, insisting on her honesty and professionalism.

“Janet has always conducted herself with integrity and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” their letter stated.

Her trade union, United Voices of the World (UVW), has appealed the dismissal and criticised how the university handled the case. Speaking with UVW, Damiro said, “I don’t steal. I’m not a thief.

I’ve worked at LSE for over 10 years without any problems. I just forgot. At my age, you can forget like that. They look at me like I’m a thief.

It’s unfair. I’ve not been myself at all, I don’t sleep at night. I don’t have a job now, but I have to pay my rent and bills. Who’s going to employ me at this age?”

The university has declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the case.

Meanwhile, LSE students have launched a petition calling for her reinstatement and describing the punishment as “deeply disturbing” for what they believe was a “minor mistake.”

An appeal hearing initially scheduled for 22 May was postponed, with a new date now set for later in June.

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‎Tragedy struck on Thursday evening after a male student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, jumped to his death after allegedly consuming unknown substance.
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‎The student was said to have jumped from a three storey building about 8pm and all efforts to save his life proved unsuccessful.
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‎The incident according to sources happened at a lodge near Royal Kitchen Junction, Ifite-Awka, a location not far from the university gate.
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‎It was learnt that residents of the building heard a loud thud, prompting them to rush to the scene where the young man was found lying in a pool of his own blood, critically injured.
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‎When concerned residents checked his room, his roommate was found in an incoherent state, and believed to be under the influence of the same substances they had taken earlier.
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‎The roommate is currently in custody and will be questioned further once he regains stability.
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The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has dismissed claims that it has cancelled the English Language paper written on May 28.

Ekwutosblog recalls that there was widespread confusion across different examination centres as candidates sitting for the senior school certificate examination, SSCE, organised by WAEC faced hours-long delays before writing the English Language paper.

At some centres, the exam scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. did not start until late at night, forcing students to reportedly rely on torchlights and phone flashlights to read and answer the question papers.

The council said it got hints of a paper leak, thus moving quickly to protect the integrity of its examination by taking immediate measures.

However, in a statement yesterday, Moyosola Adesina, the acting Head of Public Affairs, denounced a press release, dated Friday, May 30, which claimed that WAEC had cancelled the English Language paper and that a new date would be announced for its resit.

“The attention of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has been drawn to a purported press release by the council, spreading across various social media platforms.

“According to the press release, dated Friday, May 30, 2025, ‘The English Language paper written on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in the ongoing WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025 has been cancelled, and a new date for the conduct of the examination will be announced soon’.

“The management of the West African Examinations Council would like to state that the press release being circulated did not emanate from the council.

“The said examination has not been cancelled. Although the source of that information cannot be ascertained yet, the council is certain that the false claim is being peddled by mischief-makers who are bent on bringing the council to disrepute to cause confusion and panic for candidates who sat the examination,” the statement partly read.

This is coming after Head of the national office of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, Amos Dangut, recently said the exams conducted late at night in some parts of the country did not meet the council’s standards.