Landlady Charged With Malicious Damage

A Lagos landlady, Mrs. Olasewere Doherty Olapade, has been arraigned in an Ebute Metta magistrate’s court, sitting at Oyingbo, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, on a seven-count charge of conduct likely to cause breach of peace, being armed with offensive weapons, burglary, stealing and malicious damage.

Police said the 57-year-old landlady and others, now at large, committed the offence between 10 am and 12 noon on 15 July, 2011 at her property located on 3, Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

She was alleged to have broken into the house occupied by IMS Consulting Services and Computer School and damaged items valued at N100 million.

Items allegedly damaged by the landlady include 19 laptop computers, central processing units (CPU), typewriters, 32 sewing machines, software source code for war gaming developed for National Defence College, Calm Soft Source for NAF, NYSC software for e-learning and online examination.

Others include the school’s doors, air conditioners, computers and files of the past students of the computer school.

According to the police prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Emmanuel Essien, the offences are punishable under Sections 517, 80, 248(d), 516, 413, 390 and 451 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. C17, vol. ii, laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

The landlady pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Mrs. M. O. Olajuwon, the presiding magistrate, granted her bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Olajuwon ordered that the sureties must produce evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State government and means of livelihood, and have their addresses verified by the prosecutor.

The case has been adjourned till 5 December 2011.

—Paul Sanusi