A Nigerian journalist, Iwuchukwu Francis, has petitioned the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) over an alleged dispute concerning a rented apartment in the Adamo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Iwuchukwu
Francis, in a statement made before the Nigeria Police Force at Imota and Araro
respectively, on June 8, 2026, said he was seeking police intervention after
paying a total of N570,000 in rent through an estate agent, Bolaji Ojo, who
operates under the name Ojo's Properties (Land and Property Consultancy).
According
to the journalist, his initial discussion about renting a room-and-parlour
self-contained apartment took place by telephone on April 1, 2026, after which
he met Bolaji Ojo in person on April 3, 2026.
Iwuchukwu
Francis maintained that he subsequently paid N570,000 into an Access Bank
account provided by Bolaji Ojo, who claimed to be a member of the Estate, Rent
and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (ERCAAN).
The
payment, according to the journalist, was made from his First Bank account at
about 1:01 p.m. on April 3, 2026, into an Access Bank Plc account No:
1690939511 with the account name Temitope Adebayo, as provided by the estate
agent, Bolaji Ojo.
The said
Access Bank account, it was later gathered, belonged to his wife.
Iwuchukwu
Francis explained that the payment covered N400,000 for house rent, N50,000
agreement fee, N50,000 commission, N50,000 damages deposit, N15,000
security/CDA fee and N5,000 cleaner's fee.
According
to the journalist, Ojo had informed him before payment that electrical wiring
in the apartment was yet to be completed but assured him that the work would be
concluded before the end of April 2026.
He also
allegedly informed him (Iwuchukwu Francis) that each apartment in the building
had been allocated a prepaid electricity meter, although the meter meant for
his apartment had not yet arrived.
Iwuchukwu
Francis said that, following the initial payment, he reached an oral agreement
with Bolaji Ojo to take possession of the apartment and begin installing
fixtures in preparation for his relocation.
The
journalist revealed that he further paid an additional N5,000 consultancy fee
into Ojo's Opay account number 7080097012 on April 23, 2026.
According
to him, Bolaji Ojo thereafter gave him a tenancy agreement form, which he
completed, signed and returned.
Iwuchukwu
Francis said the estate agent later accompanied him to the property on April
27, 2026, and handed over the keys to both the apartment and the main gate,
thereby giving him access to the premises.
The
journalist alleged that Bolaji Ojo assured him that the tenancy agreement would
be forwarded to the owner of the property for approval and that a house-rent
receipt would subsequently be issued.
Iwuchukwu
Francis made public that he moved his belongings into the apartment on May 6,
2026, after informing the estate agent, (Bolaji Ojo) of the development.
He posited
that he subsequently began making improvements to the apartment, including
purchasing and installing a solar power system on May 7, 2026.
According
to the journalist, the solar installation was intended to provide electricity
pending the installation of the prepaid meter.
Iwuchukwu
Francis further insisted that he spent N150,000 on painting the apartment,
while additional sums were paid to a carpenter for various works, including the
construction and installation of a wall hanger, a net door, repairs to the
kitchen cabinet and the construction of a DSTV/GOTV/STRONG cabinet.
The
journalist said the dispute escalated on May 24, 2026, when he returned to the
property and allegedly discovered that the gate leading to his apartment had
been secured with a large padlock
He said
the development forced him to instruct the carpenter to suspend scheduled work
and refrain from bringing already-paid-for items to the apartment.
Iwuchukwu
Francis explained that he immediately contacted the estate agent (Bolaji Ojo),
who initially claimed ignorance of the development but later allegedly
explained that the matter was connected to a disagreement over electricity
supply.
The
journalist is demanding a refund of all monies paid in connection with securing
the apartment from the estate agent, Bolaji Ojo.
Meanwhile,
in an undertaking signed by the estate agent, Bolaji Ojo, on June 8, 2026 at
the Nigeria Police Force, Imota, he had made a promise to effect the return of
the fund in dispute to the journalist, a promise he had yet to fulfil as of the
time of filing this report.
Even
Bolaji Ojo’s earlier promise at the Police Station in Araro, to initiate the
refund of the said sum on June 8, 2026, had equally hit the brick wall.
As of the
moment, the estate agent’s whereabouts are unknown even as he had refused to
respond to the calls put across to him by the police.
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