Lagos landlord swindles tenants of N30m deposit

The leader of the group, Mr. Darlington Ajitemisan, said the majority of the prospective tenants deposited various sum of money for a storey building with 11 self-contain apartments under construction at No.2 Majaro Street, Pero Area, Agege, Lagos. Ajitemisan, who gave the name of the estate agent as Ishola Omotosho, explained that the landlord obtained […]

The leader of the group, Mr. Darlington Ajitemisan, said the majority of the prospective tenants deposited various sum of money for a storey building with 11 self-contain apartments under construction at No.2 Majaro Street, Pero Area, Agege, Lagos.

Ajitemisan, who gave the name of the estate agent as Ishola Omotosho, explained that the landlord obtained various sums of amount of money from unsuspecting prospective tenants, promising that on completion of the building they could pack in.

However, the prospective tenants said when Omotosho completed the building as promised, they were not allowed to pack in.  Instead, another group of tenants packed into the said apartment.

One of the victims, Afolabi Akeem, who was a school teacher at a private secondary school at Agege, told Oodua Trust that Omotosho collected N190,000 as part payment from calculated N200,000 for two years advance payment for a self-contain apartment in the building.

Another victim, Mr. Dike Joshua, a trader at computer village, Ikeja alleged that he deposited N142,000 as part payment for similar apartment.

Further enquiries among the prospective tenants revealed that the landlord/estate agent issued various receipts to the tenant.

Ajitemisan, who spoke on behalf of the victims, said the embattled landlord was later arrested by policemen at the State Criminal Investigating Department, Panti, Yaba but later released.

He added that the landlord had refused to refund their money, saying he often threatened them, using miscreants to chase them away from him whenever they asked for their money.

He appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to intervene in the matter to enable them get a refund of their money.

Some of the victims of the fraud, who also tendered the receipts issued to them by Omotosho, include Mrs. Frederick Ohioma, N210,000.  Others include Mr. Onipede Kunle Kazeem, N230,000,  Mr. Nwachukwu Chile, N150,000, Mr Solomon Osoata, N170,000, while Mr. Pedro Akusebo said he deposited the sum of N150,000.