16th May, 2011
The police in Lagos have arraigned Adijatu Eletu, a.k.a. Iya Akin, 58, the landlady of a two-storey building at 106, Ikorodu Road, Fadeyi, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, before the Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court, Lagos for illegally ejecting her tenant and converting his properties into her personal use.
The incident occurred on 1 May, 2011 when the tenant was not at home which he used as an office. The police alleged that the accused was arrested following a complaint lodged by the victim, Bolatito Bolaji, a property developer, that his landlady broke into his one-room aparment and carted away his properties and sensitive documents, including N650,000 he kept inside the office even though the five-year rent he paid around December 2010 till 2015 was yet to expire.
Following the report, the police stormed her residence with a search warrant and recovered some of the tenant’s properties she converted to her personal use.
Items allegedly recovered from her apartment include one LG television, valued at N15,000, six office chairs, valued at N52,000, two wall fans, valued at N10,000, one aluminium shelve, valued at N10,000 and two office tables, valued at N35,000.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted breaking into the victim’s apartment because the tenant did not pay her any money before he packed into the room.
She also admitted finding N50,000 inside the office and not N650,000 as claimed by the complainant.
When asked why she did not report the matter to the police instead of taking the laws in her hand, she told the police that she preferred it that way.
In his own statement to the police, the victim Bolatito said: “I am not owing her any money. I paid her the N350,000 she demanded for five years from December 2010 till December 2015 before I packed into the room with a receipt duly issued to me.â€
The landlady was charged with a two-count charge of burglary and stealing, offences punishable under Sections 413 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap. C.17, Vol. 11, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate P.A. Ojo granted her bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the matter till 23 June, 2011.
She was remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons, Apapa, on the orders of the magistrate when nobody came to bail her before the court closed for the day.
—Paul Iyoghojie