Tenant beats landlord over unpaid rent in Abuja

A heated confrontation erupted in the Pegi community of Kuje Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as a tenant, Musa Alhassan, allegedly assaulted his landlord, Samson Bako, following a dispute over unpaid rent.  

The incident reportedly occurred at night when Alhassan, a commercial driver, returned from work and discovered his room padlocked by the landlord. Frustrated by the situation, the altercation quickly escalated into physical violence.

According to Ishaku Ayuba, a resident of the area, Alhassan had failed to pay his rent for over a year despite multiple reminders from the landlord.

The landlord’s decision to lock the room was seen as a last resort after months of unsuccessful attempts to recover the outstanding rent.

“The man is a commercial driver who has been staying in that compound for three years now. Since last year when his rent expired, he has refused to pay the landlord,” he said.

He explained that the landlord decided to lock the tenant’s room out of frustration.

“When the tenant had gone to work, the landlord used another padlock to lock up the room,” he added.

Ayuba said the incident escalated when Alhassan confronted the landlord’s son.

“The tenant walked straight and attempted to slap the landlord’s son. In the process, the landlord came out, and it resulted in a serious quarrel, and the tenant assaulted the landlord,” he said.

A member of the vigilante group, simply identified as Joshua, confirmed the incident, stating that they were alerted by residents and had to intervene.

“We were immediately alerted and came to intervene. The tenant was later handed over to security personnel in the area,” he said.