By Chuks Eke
It was all cries and wailing at No. 57 Atani road, Iyiowa Odekpe in Ogbaru Local Government area of Anambra State, following the alleged destruction and looting of household properties estimated at N100 million belonging to the tenants in a bid to forcefully evict them from the building.
The three-storey building housing about 30 tenants has been deroofed and is currently undergoing renovationor even demolition by the landlord who according to the tenants,, were mandated to pack out without the expiration of one-year payment of their house rent, as well as pendency of their complaint about their forceful eviction in the law court.
Five of the aggrieved tenants, Chibueze Ali, Anthony Ezue, Nicodemus Nwafor, Mrs. Sussan Okani and Chujwuemeka Nwankwo in a press briefing, told newsmen that their landlord, Festus Nwanochie had through his Attorneys, Chima Umensofor Esq. Chikaodili Dimojiaku Esq. Joseph Nwobodo Esq. and Ifeanyi Okoye Esq. served them a quit notice even when the one year rent they paid was still running.
They complained that when all their pleas to the landlord and his Attorneys to allow them stay till the one year house rent they paid in advance expired in July, this year, within which they would have rented another residence somewhere else, the landlord refused and insisted that they must vacate the house.
They said the landlord’s insistence that they must vacate the building prompted them to rush to Atani Magistrate Court and filed an interlocutory injunction seeking to restrain him, his Attorneys and agents from ejecting them from the house, pending the expiration of their advanced payment of their house rent.
The tenants, now plaintiffs had in the Motion No. MGB/13/2025 filed on their behalf by their legal counsel, Monday Onwe are praying the court to restrain the landlord from ejecting them from the house because as at April 2024, when he intimated them of a change in the management of the property and compelled them to pay him N85,000 each, being money for form, tenancy agreement and landlord’s kolanut, they did not hesitate to pay.
They said after the payments, the landlord and his Attorneys on or before January 3, 2025 issued them another quit notices to vacate the building on or before January 31, 2025 or have themselves to blame, vowing to demolish the building as from February 1,’ 2025.
The said sequel to the threat, they, the plaintiffs instructed their counsel, Monday A. Onwe, to give a pre action notice to the defendant as their house rent has not expired and prayed the court for the following reliefs: a declaration that it is unlawful to eject them from the building until the expiration of their current tenancy respectively.
They therefore sought an order of injunction restraining the defendant, his attorneys, privies, agents, servants, howsoever from ejecting them from the said building with payment of N500,000, being cost of suit.
They therefore urged the court and Governor Chukwuma Soludo to come to their rescue alleging that their properties estimated at N100 million have been destroyed and looted as the defendant has eventually ejected them forcefully, deroofed the building and has commenced demolition exercise, having removed all doors, windows and roofings.
Leading counsel to the landlord, Umensofor Esq. told newsmen on phone that since the matter is pending before the court, there was no need commenting on it.
Meantime, the matter has been adjourned to May 9, this year for hearing at Atani Chief Magistrate Court.
