71-year-old Nigerian cleaner dismissed by UK university over forgotten bracelet

A 71-year-old Nigerian woman, Janet Damiro, has been dismissed from her cleaning role at the London School of Economics (LSE) after being accused of stealing a gold bracelet — a claim she firmly denies.

Damiro, who relocated from Nigeria to the UK in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years, said she mistakenly left the bracelet in her bag after picking it up during her shift, intending to turn it in.

According to a report by Metro UK, she returned the item three days later when management asked about it. Despite this, she was suspended and later dismissed in April for alleged gross misconduct.

“I can’t sleep. I have never had a bad record or been to HR before in my life,” she 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.”

Support for Damiro has poured in from over 70 colleagues, including three supervisors, who submitted a letter defending her character and work ethic.

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

Her union, United Voices of the World (UVW), has filed an appeal on her behalf and criticised the university’s handling of the incident. On its website, UVW voiced concerns about the fairness of the disciplinary process.

Speaking through the union, 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?”

While the university has declined to comment, citing an ongoing internal process, students have started a petition demanding her reinstatement. They described the disciplinary action as “deeply disturbing” in light of what they believe was an honest mistake.

An appeal hearing that was initially slated for May 22 has been postponed, with a new date expected later in June.