How Landlord damaged tenant’s daughter’s eyes with Sniper over unpaid rent

A 70-year old Landlord, Mr. Anthony Okafor, has been arrested by the state Criminal Investigative Department for pouring a liquid substance into his tenant’s apartment over the latter’s refusal to quit his property, damaging the eyes of one of the daughters of the tenant in the process.

The tenant, Mr Peters Elekwachi, alleged that the landlord damaged one of his daughter’s eyes with the substance known as ‘Sniper’ adding that the landlord poured the sniper inside one of the rooms where the children were sleeping around 4am on December 4.

The incident happened at No 2 Segun Wahab Street Kudeyibu Igegun -Ikotun of Lagos state metropolis.

According to the tenant, he rented a two bedroom apartment without defaulting on the agreement he reached with the landlord in 2019, which is yearly payment.

It was learnt that immediately their rent expired in May 2021, the landlord issued them a quit notice without giving any reasons.

READ ALSO: Landlord evicts Lagos PDP over unpaid rent

According to the tenant, “we have gone to meet the landlord to know why he is giving us quit notice through his legal counsel after barely two years of packing into his house.

“He told us that he wants to make use of the flat and I have sent more than four persons to him, including his wife to find out our offences.

“I am a civil servant, the situation in Nigeria is bad, if I had the money to rent another apartment I would have left his property because I would not like someone to harm my family. As I am speaking with you now my daughter’s eye has been damaged”, he noted

He said he was sleeping around 4am on Dec 4th and suddenly his children began to scream that they saw the landlord spraying something inside their room through the window.

“We raised an alarm that attracted our co-tenants and neighbours and the landlord did not deny the allegation.

“Rather, the landlord claimed that he took the action based on the information he got from other tenants and neighbours that his compound had been turned to a football ground.

“I have issued them a quit notice since six months has elapsed and the tenant refused to quit”, he said.

Commenting on the incident, Prince Saviour Ichie, the President, Ambassadors For Peace & Enlightenment Foundation said that it was through his intervention that the matter was transferred to the state CID Panti, where it is currently being investigated.