Lagos tenant sues landlord for property damage

Emeka Unateze, a renter in Lagos State, has filed a lawsuit against Justin Anyasodo, his landlord, alleging that the latter forced his way into his home and caused damage.

Anyasodo was charged with four counts of theft, forgery, and malicious damage to property on Tuesday by the police before Magistrate O.Y. Adefope in a Yaba Magistrate's Court.

The defendant committed the offences, according to prosecutor Haruna Magaji, because he and his client Unateze were at odds over rent.

Haruna disclosed that the accused had falsified an official court record asserting that he had permission to enter and demolish N5.5 million worth of Unateze's property.

He added that the defendant claimed that they were carrying out a court order and, after consulting, it was found that the purported court order did not exist. The defendant then threw the remaining property into the bush and locked the tenant and his family outside.

According to him, the defendant took one TV, one refrigerator, a set of chairs, and boxes that held jewellery worth N5.5 million.

He claimed that the defendant violated Sections 411, 339, 280, and 365 of the Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015, when he committed the offence in March 2021, while Unataze was still his tenant.

The charges read in part, “That you, Justin Anyasodo and others now at large, sometime in March 2021 in Lagos, within the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit malicious damage and forgery and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

"That you, Justin Anyasodo and others now at large, on the same date, time and place, and in the aforementioned magisterial district, did enter the house of one Emeka Unateze and maliciously damaged his properties and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable by Section 339 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

“That you, Justin Anyasodo and others now at large, on the same date, time and place, and in the aforementioned magisterial district, did steal one television set, one fridge, one freezer, sets of chairs and boxes containing jewellery valued at N5.5m which belong to one Emeka Unateze and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.”

The defendant was read the charges and entered a not-guilty plea.

Adefope accepted his not-guilty plea and granted him N2 million bail with two dependable sureties.

The trial in this case was postponed until December 15, 2023.

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