Court discharges landlady over tenant’s allegation

The Magistrate Court sitting in Ikeja Magisterial District, Ogudu, presided over by Chief Magistrate (Mrs) Taiwo D. Akanni has discharged and acquitted Engineer (Mrs) Elizabeth Olusolape Akintola- Ajibola, of a 3-count charge leveled against her by one of her tenants — Damilola Banire, a reporter at OyinmomoTV, Lagos.

Damilola Banire had employed the service of the publisher of Ooduarere.com in publishing three (3) unbalanced and inaccurate allegations against her landlady, Mrs Elizabeth Olusolape Akintola-Ajibola, titled, “Nigerian journalist cries out after her landlady threw out her belongings, a day after her rent expired.”

Banire alleged that her landlady had conspired with five men to break into her rented apartment in her absence, adding that properties worth one million and ninety-five thousand (N1,095,000) naira were stolen by the landlady.

After many adjournments because the female journalist (PW1) couldn’t provide evidence needed to proof her charges against her landlady, the Court led by Chief Magistrate (Mrs) Taiwo D. Akanni ruled that the three count charges were unsubstantiated, lack proven evidences and right there dismissed the charges as contained in her judgement tagged, MIK/I/117/2016.

“In view of the above position therefore, the Court hereby finds for the defendant and holds that the defendant is found not guilty of the said 3-count charge brought against her and accordingly, the defendant is discharged and acquitted.”

Until recently, when the attention of Mrs Ajibola was called to the one-sided and libelous report by the publisher of Ooduarere.com as stated in paragraph two above, it was expected that Ooduarere.com would have done the needful going by the ethics of journalism by updating the inaccurate and unbalanced news item, as well be responsible enough to tender an unreserved apology.

However, the publisher of Ooduarere.com wouldn’t respond to messages sent to him through his two available contacts: Gmail and Facebook accounts (ooduarere@gmail.com).

“As a matter of the rule of law, Ooduarere.com should update the defamatory contents on its portal without delay, or else it may be sued for libel,” Mrs Ajibola warned.