By Ada Festus
A 42-old businessman, Mr Ekele Anaora, has accused his landlady, one Mrs Ochei Oluwatoyin Olayinka of pouring a substance in his apartment situated at 9 Gideon street, Ijeododo Ijegun area of Lagos State.
Ekele said he rented two-bedroom apartment in January from the mother of one for three hundred thousand naira per annum inclusive of agreement, agent’s and part payment of caution fees for twenty thousand naira.
The tenant said he had an agreement with his landlady who teaches at Baptist college Ijegun to balance the caution fee when he moved into the landlady’s house.
Their relationship however went sour when just three months of stay in the apartment.
Anambra state born man narrated that there was a down pour and he discovered that the apartment has a leaking roof.
Anaora said he put a call to the landlady to inform her about the problem but he claimed that the woman did not answer him.
“Rather she told me that it is too early for me to complain that if I am not willing to stay in her house that she will refund the rent to me.”
“Though her response did not go well with me, I have to call the house agent who got the apartment for me to inform him that my apartment was leaking seriously and that I called the landlady to inform her about it but she was threatening to refund my money.
“I waited for about three months and she did not come to the house to check if I am lying.
Each time there is rain my properties gets soak with water, especially the sitting room that is most affected, I had to call a carpenter who came to trace the fault and fixed it.
The next approach from the landlady was requesting for the balance of twenty thousand as caution fee and disconnected my pumping machine and went to report me to the Mediation Center where the human rights group handle and settle issues between landlords and tenants.
After the Mediation Center settled the matter, Mrs Ochei’s lawyer brought quit notice on June 10 and invited me that his client reported me to his office for owing her balance of the rent, that he will send a notice to me to get another accommodation.
Meanwhile my rent has not expired. I have to narrate everything to his lawyer.
“On October 15 2019, I received another quit notice from her lawyer, I had to inform my own lawyer who called her lawyer to know why sending series of quit notices while my rent had not expired, notwithstanding I just packed in few months earlier.
Narrating further, I expressed shock when her lawyer brought quit notice to me immediately my one year rent expired in January 2020.
I informed my own lawyer about the latest development because I have briefed him earlier on the treatment from the landlady ever since.
My lawyer has replied them until this Sunday the landlady came to pour a substance all over my apartment.
Since two days ago that I reported the matter to Ijegun police station she refused to report to the station, she is bragging that the house belongs to her late husband not police and no authority has right over her property.
Our correspondent also contacted the Mrs Ochei, for comment, in denfence, she said that the tenant had been giving her problem immediately he moved to the house.
She said: “A tenant had stillbirth because of this man’s evil, he is a troublesome fellow, we have gone to Mediation Center to settle matter for more than thrice.
I am through with him, he should go and look for another house. My lawyer has notified him already.”
Responding to the allegation of the substance poured on the tenant’s apartment she admitted that it was out of frustration and just a lubricant oil to disinfectant the compound.
A co-tenant, who does not want his name in print told our reporter, “The landlady does not live with us but always have issues with the tenants, the house agent is the one causing problem between the landlady and tenant.
“In fact, with what happened on Sunday, we are afraid because we do not know her next line of action, we were surprised when she poured some substance around Mr Ekele’s apartment.
