The 33-year-old woman, Ifeoma Ossai, who was arrested in Ogun State for allegedly causing the death of her landlord by pulling his manhood, has denied the allegation.
The suspect was arrested on Saturday, March 11, 2023, following a report lodged at the Nigeria Police Divisional Headquarters Sango Ota by Mr. Olaleye Taiwo, who stated that his brother, Monday Oladele, aged 50, had a quarrel with his tenant over the non payment of electricity bill.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Ms. Ossai denied grabbing the landlord’s manhood, saying that she was surprised that such a story could be formulated against her.
Ms Ossai, who hails from Ndukwa Local Government Area of Delta State, claimed that the landlord was making a call when he slumped with his phone in his hand.
According to her, before this, she and the landlord’s wife had fought, which made him to start calling someone. She said that she had returned to her apartment when someone called her to come and see the landlord lying unconscious.
“I left Lagos State and started living in the house where the incident happened in June 2022. It’s a family house where four brothers were living in the main building while two of us who are tenants were in the apartments at the back. Their mother owns the house, while the one I had issues with was the eldest and referred to as landlord,” she explained.
“I paid N230,000 for the one-room apartment I rented. The rented apartment was N110,000 while agency and agreement fees were put at N100,000. However, the agent that brought me to the house was asking for commission which the landlord refused to give, saying that he did not put any agent in charge. I was asked to pay extra N20,000 for the agent, totalling N230,000.
“There was no deep well or borehole that could provide water, and I told the landlord that I couldn’t pay that much for a room apartment without water. The landlord promised to provide water with the money tenants paid.
“However, as the months passed by, he did not do anything, which was against his promise. I was fetching water from the next street which was cumbersome, inconvenient and stressful.
“Last month, they drilled a borehole but did not connect it to our apartments. We were fetching the water from outside the compound. That fateful Saturday, I paid for energy consumption, then I told the landlord’s younger brother who came to collect it that what the family was doing to me and the other tenants was not good. I complained of non-availability of water inside the compound.
“Then the landlord and his wife came out. He started telling me that my complaints were too many. He said the N120,000 agency and agreement fees collected from me would stand as payment for another month when my rent would expire, and that I should pack out of the apartment. I insisted on our initial agreement which was not fulfilled, asking him if he would take such from anyone.
“The wife then started insulting me: saying ‘we don’t make money the way you do. Ashawo (prostitute). Useless woman. Ten husbands, two children.’ I replied her that I was not a prostitute because I have a shop where I sell wine and liquor. I asked her if being a single mother makes me a prostitute. I said I would remain in the house at the expiration of my rent fee because they reneged on our agreement.
“That led to the landlord slapping me. As he did, I held his clothes, asking him what I did that warranted the slap after paying so much for a room in a house without water. I asked: ‘Is it because I had no one around me?’
“The next thing was that the wife joined him in beating me. I fell down and she started scratching my face. I have marks on me till now. I tried fighting back, but the younger brother of the landlord came and separated us, pleading that we should go to our apartments. The landlord went inside while the wife was in another room. I touched my face and saw that it was bleeding.
“This disturbed me, as I believed I was injured for claiming my right. So I went into where the wife was and we started fighting again. By that time, her husband was inside making a call asking the person he was talking to to come and pick me.
“Meanwhile, his younger brother was telling him to mind his health and be calm because of his being hypertensive. The brother separated me and the wife, and we went our different ways.
“I was in my apartment warming stew for my children when I heard that the landlord had slumped. Some people came to my door and told me. When we got to his room, he was holding his phone in one hand. People brought salt, garri and onions to revive him but it was to no avail. He was taken to a hospital where he was confirmed dead.
“His younger brother lamented that he already told us not to fight because of his brother’s history of high blood pressure.
“The next day, I was taken to the police station, only to be accused of pulling his manhood. I was surprised. How would I touch his manhood, not to talk of pulling it? He was in his room making a call while his wife and I were fighting. I didn’t touch his manhood.”