The Lagos Police have grilled a landlord,
Mr. Lateef Rasaq, for allegedly demolishing the apartment he let out to
a 74-year-old man, Mr. Olaitan Oshinubi.
It
was learnt that Rasaq was arrested by policemen attached to the Denton
Police Station, but was later released on the grounds that the incident
“is a family matter.”
PUNCH Metro
learnt that Rasaq had allegedly ordered his cousin, Wasiu Oriaiye, to
demolish Oshinubi’s apartment, claiming it needed to be renovated.
Our correspondent gathered that the apartment on house 7, Bola Street in the Ebute Meta area of Lagos, was inherited by Rasak.
He and his cousin, a commercial driver, reportedly inherited two apartments each from their grandfather, who owned the property.
It
was gathered that Oshinubi, a retired electricity worker, had visited a
relative on a Friday in September, 2014 only to come back and meet his
apartment demolished.
The
septuagenarian also said his clothes, television and radio sets among
other household items had been carted away before he returned home on
the fateful day.
Our correspondent,
who visited the area, observed that the apartment was a storey building
with its ground floor being used as kitchen and toilet by all the
tenants.
Oshinubi said, “Rasaq and
Oriaiye have treated me badly, not minding my age. The police arrested
Rasaq, but they did not handle the matter properly. I believe I can
still get justice.
“Truly, the flat
needed to be renovated, but I was surprised when I came back home on the
fateful day and met my flat in rubble. Some of my items had been stolen
while some were trapped.
“I learnt
Rasaq ordered Oriaiye to demolish it. I had to stay for days at a
friend’s house before I could rent another apartment.”
Speaking
with our correspondent on the phone, Oriaiye said the demolition was
done “in good faith”, adding that he gave Oshinubi a week notice. He
claimed he did not see any valuable item in Oshinubi’s apartment before
the demolition.
He said, “Other
tenants complained to me that the apartment might collapse at any time. I
discussed with my uncle on its renovation and we met with a carpenter
and a bricklayer to estimate the cost. I used the rent we collected from
the two shops we let out to buy sand and granite.
“Rasaq
said his tenant did not want to pay the balance and ordered me to
demolish the apartment. I gave Oshinubi a week notice to pack out but he
refused. The old man did not have a bulb in the rooms, let alone
electronics.”
The Lagos State Police
spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said Rasaq was only invited for
questioning, adding that he was released having discovered that the
matter was civil.
“The landlord was
not arrested. We invited him for questioning and it was discovered it is
a family issue. It is a civil matter which can be sorted out in court,”
he said.
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