A tensed situation arose between a landlord and his tenant over delay in payment of electricity consumption bill that degenerated into a fight which left one person dead and five houses razed down by angry mob in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area,
Anambra State, Nigeria
Investigation revealed that trouble started when a tenant simply identified as David was
attacked by his landlord and his family for allegedly not being able to offset
his electricity bill.
As the landlord forcefully wanted to collect the money from the tenant, fight ensued between them, on seeing that the landlord seeing is being overpowered by the tenant, the son of the landlord brought out a knife and stabbed the tenant who immediately fell and slumped after loosing so much pants of blood as regards the knife perforation into his stomach and died.
But before the
stabbing, the landlord’s daughter had earlier hit the tenant with electric
pressing iron on his face which made him to lose some of his teeth.
On noticing that the
tenant has died sympathizers and passers-by mobilized, turned into a mob and
set five houses and a car belonging to the landlord ablaze.
Consequently, tenants
who lived in some of the houses quickly removed their properties before the mob
set the entire houses ablaze despite efforts made by the Police to stop them
for setting the houses ablaze.
Contacted, the Ogidi
Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Hassan Musa confirmed the incident adding
that the landlord has been arrested and case file transferred to the State
Intelligent and Investigation Bureau, SIIB, Awka for further investigation.
He said, "I was
there with my DCO throughout to stop the angry mob from destroying or setting
the houses ablaze but they eventually scaled the wall through the back and set
them ablaze".
"The corpse of
the victim has been deposited at Iyi-enu Morgue and we are looking for the
suspect and his sister that hit the deceased with pressing iron", DPO stated.
As at the time of
filing this report some tenants were seen packing their properties out of the
premises under Police watch.