Olanike, the wife of a car dealer, Ayodeji Soetan, has been hospitalised after their landlady, Juliet Akano, allegedly vandalised and broke into his apartment at Tijani Bello in the Ojodu area of Lagos State.
Freelanews learnt that the incident happened at about 11 am on Wednesday, January 24.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, Soetan said Akano stormed the premises of the two-storey building in the company of some suspected thugs.
According to him, one of them brought out a sledgehammer and started to demolish his door and windows before eventually breaking into his apartment.
He, however, lamented that the sudden demolition affected his wife who was later rushed to the hospital due to shock resulting in high blood pressure.
While narrating the incident, he said, “I had left home in the morning when my wife called to tell me that the landlady came with some people to vandalise my flat which is on the ground floor of the building. And by the time I got home, they had vandalised my door, including my bedroom and kitchen windows. My wife lost her pregnancy two months ago and she has been recovering from the loss, but the shock of the demolition was too much for her. She developed high blood pressure and now in the hospital.”
Soetan alleged that one of the men assaulted his neighbour who attempted to restrict them from going ahead with the demolition.
He said, “In the process of trying to stop them, one of the thugs she brought assaulted my neighbour. All these were happening in the presence of our landlady while she said nothing. After doing that, they went ahead and dug a hole around the building. I have no issue with her order than the house rent I want to pay her. I have offered to pay the rent which will be due by May this year, but she has refused to collect it. She did not even give me an audience at all.”
Soetan said no prior notice was made by the landlady before the demolition.
He also added the suspected thugs who carried out the exercise were not officials of the state government as claimed by Akano.
He said, “Before this incident, she had brought some people to mark the house, claiming they were Lagos State Government officials. She said the people who vandalised our property were government officials too. But when I made my findings, I found out that they were not from the state government. How would the Lagos State Government officials come to demolish people’s property in that manner?”
When contacted, Akano picked her call but later dropped it when our correspondent introduced himself. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
