Landlord Kills Tenant Over N300 PHCN Bill
A landlord in Ibadan, name withheld, was on Tuesday arrested by the police over allegation of killing his tenant, Mr Jelili Akande, over N300 electricity bill.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident happened on Monday morning at Moniya, in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo Sate.
NAN investigation revealed that the deceased, a staff of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, was said to have been owing the suspect the money for some time.
Our correspondent further gathered that whenever the landlord asked the deceased for the money, he would always promise that he would pay at the end of the month.
A co-tenant of the deceased, who witnessed the incident, Mr Akin Akinyode, told NAN that the deceased and the landlord prayed together in a mosque shortly before the tragedy.
He said that after the prayer, the landlord approached the deceased for the payment of the bill, but all he got was the usual promise to pay at the end of the month.
“This repeated promise by the deceased did not go down well with the landlord, who insisted that he must pay the bill before going to the office,†Akinyode added.
At this juncture, he said the wife of the tenant decided to pay N200 out of the money, with a promise to pay the balance when she returns home in the night.
The witness said that an attempt by the landlord’s wife to intervene did not go down well with her husband, who allegedly dragged the tenant, slapped and hit him on the chest.
Akinyode said the deceased collapsed, and that when he was rushed to a nearby hospital he was pronounced dead.
Not satisfied, the sympathisers took Akande to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where he was confirmed dead, and the body deposited in the mortuary.
The witness said that the suspect was arrested and taken to Moniya Police Station for questioning.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Olatunji Ajimuda, confirmed the incident.
He said that the matter would soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
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