A tenant, Peter Jolomi, has accused his landlord, Richard Ayitu, of denying him access to his property in the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State, claiming his belongings were discarded on the street after a rent dispute.
Jolomi, a pastor, alleged in an interview that his property was thrown out and left on the estate’s street for several days. He said Ayitu, accusing him of owing rent, ordered the gate locked and demanded immediate payment before allowing him back into the property.
Jolomi claimed that he had paid N200,000 of the N312,000 owed but that Ayitu refused to accept the payment, insisting on the full amount.
Attempts to settle the matter, including sending his brother to speak to Ayitu at his church, were rejected. Jolomi further alleged that Ayitu had harassed him by involving the police in the situation.
The landlord, Richard Ayitu, denied the allegations, stating that Jolomi owed him N538,000 in rent. Ayitu claimed that Jolomi had not paid for several months and had refused to vacate when asked.
According to Ayitu, Jolomi agreed to leave with his belongings but still owed the outstanding balance, which he was unwilling to pay. Ayitu said the police had intervened to retrieve some of Jolomi’s belongings, but a damaged chair was left behind.
Efforts to contact the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or text messages by the time of publishing.
