A physically challenged man, Olaide Badmus and her mother, Mrs. Badmus, have been dragged before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court by their tenant said to be an officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Adeyemi Badru over house rent.
Badru accused the widow and her son of deducting from the rent he paid to them of which he demanded after opting to pack out of the house in Osogbo.
It was gathered that Badru had rented an apartment belonging to the widow but decided to park out a few weeks after an allegation that the landlady was sprinkling some salt in the compound.
Before the decision to exit the apartment and demand for return of his rent, it was gathered that the landlady had paid the sum of N95, 000 to Badru for procurement of an international passport.
When it was time for Badru to leave the house, the widow decided to deduct the N95, 000 she paid to Badru from the balance of the rent, a development that did not go down well with the Immigration officer.
He reported it to the police and the landlady was arrested.
She was later arraigned before Magistrate O. A. Daramola for allegedly obtaining money by false pretence from Badru.
The landlady pleaded not guilty to the allegation and was granted bail.
Also, the physically challenged son of the landlady was arrested by the police and arraigned after Badru accused him of threatening his life.
Olaide explained his ordeal by saying, “Badru arrested my mother and when we got to the police station, I told Badru that “you have collected your money, what do you want again?” So, in the night, I was in the house when police came to my house and told me that I was threatening Badru and that I should write a statement. I was forced to write the statement because I didn’t threaten him. Later, Badru came to my school to arrest me three times. So, the police took me and locked me up in a cell before I was taken to court.”
Meanwhile, a human rights activist, Citizen Lola Wey, has accused the Immigration officer of harassing and tormenting the vulnerable persons because of his position.
Wey said, “Badru rented an apartment in their house and later said he was not interested in living in the house, that their mother (Mrs. Badmus) sprinkled salt on the floor of the house. The woman is a Cherubim and Seraphim Church member who uses salt for prayers.
“So, Badru now asked them to return his rent. He even begged them for the apartment because his rent wasn’t complete. They accepted him and gave him a three bedroom flat.
“Now, they wanted an international passport and they have paid N95, 000 to him but the process of commencing the international passport had not started because they were yet to give him details of the person that they wanted to do the passport for. So, when he said he wanted to pack out of the house, they told him that if he goes, they won’t be able to get back their passport money. They now told him that they would take their money out of his rent. So, he agreed with them. But, later, he took the woman and her son to court. The woman had to sleep in Ilesa prison before she could meet her bail requirements. These people are vulnerable and they should not be treated this way.”
