50-year-old tenant beats up his landlord for demanding rent!

A 50-year-old man, Nnamdi Ibeneme, has been charged before an Ojo Magistrate Court in Lagos for allegedly beating up his landlord for demanding rent.

Ibeneme, who was arraigned before the court on Wednesday, also allegedly broke the hip-bone of his landlord, Alfred Uzoaru, during a fight that ensued after he was asked to move out of the house.

The wounded landlord was said to be receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

For his alleged offence, Ibeneme is facing a one-count charge of assault, which he pleaded not guilty to.

The defendant was said to have defaulted on his rent for his one-room apartment on Osholade Street in Adaloko area of the state, since May, 2012.

The police prosecutor, ASP Friday Eze, told the court that the defendant, a second-hand clothes dealer, had attributed the default in rent to slow business.

Eze added that the defendant, however, attributed his business' failure to his landlord, whom he accused of putting a charm on the premises of the said property to bring bad luck to tenants.

Magistrate T.O Shomade granted the defendant bail in the sum of N20,000 with two sureties, with instruction to deposit the sum of N5,000 each into an interest-yielding account to be determined by the Chief Registrar.

The matter was adjourned to October 8, for further hearing.