Landlord’s wife beats up tenant, destroys property

The wife of a landlord, Mrs. Roselyn Imiemohon, has allegedly invaded the apartment of a tenant, Mrs. Kelubia Okeke, at Gorgeous Cole Estate in Ifako-Ijaye area of Lagos and destroyed some of her property.

Okeke, who claimed that Roselyn invaded her apartment with eight hoodlums last week Sunday, also alleged that her N200,000 and the $10,000 (N1.57m) she wanted to travel abroad with the next day were also stolen during the invasion.

She accused Roselyn and the hoodlums of destroying her apartment windows and removing the burglar proofs and the doors.

Okeke said the hoodlums acting under Roselyn’s instruction removed her electronics, chairs, beds and her property and dumped them on the street.

She said when she confronted Roselyn and demanded reason for her action, she said she took the action to prove she was the rightful owner of the house and not her husband, Victor Imiemohon, who lives abroad.

Okeke said, “When she (Roselyn) knocked at the door and introduced herself as the landlady, I did not bother because I know her husband as the landlord but we are all aware that they have marital problems.

“My husband, Emeka, and I have only met her once and that was when the landlord introduced her as his wife. But we have contract with her husband and has been liaising with him ever since.

“She told us she was not aware that our apartment was occupied. We found that very funny because there was a time she sent a letter to us on matters of management and rent of the property and my husband’s name was listed in the letter.”

The letter shown to our correspondent dated November 30, 2011, announced the sacking of the firm managing the property, Lawmetro, which was employed by her husband.

The letter purportedly signed by Roselyn stated in part, “Lawmetro cease to manage the above property where you reside as the property is now owner-managed. Any tenant displeased with the arrangement is welcome to tender written notice to vacate the property without prejudice.”

A lawyer from the firm, who was in charge of the house at the time, Mr. Seyi Olawunmi, told our correspondent on the phone that he was surprised when Roselyn gave him notice that his services were no longer needed.

Olawunmi said, “I was really surprised when she said she did not want our services any longer because I had no professional relationship with her. When I told her she did not contract me, she came with hoodlums threatening to foment trouble.

“It got to a stage that I had to call her husband that I was no longer interested in managing the property.”

Okeke said as she tried to stop the hoodlums from destroying her property, she was shoved aside and beaten by the hoodlums.

“At that time, my husband, Emeka, who had become helpless, went to the police station to report the incident. Even when the policemen came, she still continued packing our property outside,” she said.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Roselyn was eventually arrested and taken to the Area G Police Command, but was later released on bail.

The Area Commander, Mr. Isola Danbaba, told our correspondent that he ordered that Roselyn should be released on bail when she was sick.

“She had no right to resort to self-help. The law will take its course on the matter, there is no doubt about that,” he said.

When our correspondent called Roselyn on the phone on Monday, an unidentified man, who picked the call, said she was receiving treatment in a hospital and could not speak at the time.

It was learnt that Roselyn had been discharged from the hospital but her whereabouts were unknown.

Danbaba told our correspondent on the phone, “I asked her to be released on bail having told her to produce a reliable surety.

“Police did not take her to the hospital where, we would have posted a policeman there to guard her. In fact, when the police officer investigating the case went there, she was found on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask over her face.

“If we did not release her on bail and something happened to her, the family would have been making allegations against us. So, I really don’t know the reason why the woman (Okeke) said the suspect has escaped.”

Danbaba said when the surety got to the area command and could not produce the suspect, he was promptly arrested. He said the surety and other hoodlums who allegedly took part in the invasion were charged to court on Wednesday and were remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons

Source PUNCH