Janet Olufunke Damiro, a 71-year-old Nigerian grandmother, was fired from her cleaning position at the London School of Economics after being accused of stealing a bracelet.
Damiro, who emigrated to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years, told Metro UK exclusively on Thursday that she simply forgot the gold bracelet in her purse after finding it during her shift and meant to hand it in later.
She returned it three days later after being questioned by management, but she was still suspended and finally fired in April for gross misconduct.
Damiro said, “I can’t sleep. I have never had a bad record or been to HR before in my life.
“LSE has 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.”
According to Metro, more than 70 of her colleagues, including three supervisors, have written to LSE management to defend her, insisting on her honesty and professionalism.
“Janet has always conducted herself with integrity and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” their letter read.
Her trade union, United Voices of the World, appealed the dismissal in a post on its website last month, criticising the university’s handling of the situation.
Damiro told UVW, “I don’t steal.” I am 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 this.
“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?”
According to Metro, the university has declined to comment publicly due to the continuing nature of the issue.
Meanwhile, LSE students have started a petition advocating for her reinstatement, calling the sentence “deeply disturbing” for what they believe was a “minor mistake”.
An appeal hearing originally scheduled on May 22 has been postponed, with a new date established for later in June.
