Landlord sues tenant over N15,000 rent, damages

A businessman in Ibadan, Omole Gabriel, has dragged his former tenant, Sharafa Ganiyu, before the Oja-ObaMapo customary court, Ibadan allegedly for damaging three doors before he quit the apartment he had rented from him.

Gabriel claimed that Ganiyu, who was his tenant for four years, moved out of the apartment in June 2017, but locked up the two rooms and refused to hand it over.

The landlord told the court, “His rent expired in March 2017, but he did not move out until June. When moving out, he locked up the two rooms he rented and refused to drop the keys.

“I took the matter to the police station and he was ordered to open the doors and drop the keys. While doing this, he destroyed three doors in the apartment, and has refused to repair or replace them.”

He further stated that despite a police order to Ganiyu to replace the destroyed doors, he had refused to do so after many months, causing him to lose prospective tenants who had indicated interest in the apartment.

Gabriel said, “It was not until last month that I had to use my personal money to repair the three doors, which cost me a sum of N28,000. Since he left the apartment in June, no one has rented the rooms, making me lose N60,000 in the last one year.”

The landlord prayed the court to order the respondent to pay his rent arrears, which he put at N15,000, and also refund the N28,000 he (landlord) claimed to have spent replacing the doors.

Sharafa, however, denied locking up the doors after vacating the apartment. He, however, admitted destroying the said three doors.

He further stated he had already paid Ganiyu a sum of N5,000 after he vacated the apartment.

The president of the court, Ademola Odunade, ordered the respondent to pay the landlord the sum of N10,000 to cover the balance of his arrears, while he pleaded with the landlord to let go the sum he claimed to have spent on replacing the doors.