By Christiana Nichola
A landlord, Ayuba Kewa, on Thursday dragged his tenant, Lawrence Onoja, to a Senior Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba, Abuja for alleged metre bypass and unpaid utility charges.
Kewa, through his lawyer, Sunday Manchi, is seeking recovery of the premises.
According to the particulars of claim, Kewa is the landlord of the residential premises situated at Plot 330/331, Doma Loop, Opposite Kopda Office, Abacha Road, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
He averred that Onoja was a tenant under a written tenancy agreement dated Jan. 25, 2025, for a yearly term at an annual rent of N600,000.
During cross examination by the plaintiff’s counsel, Philip Yakubu, the plaintiff alleged that prior to the expiration of the defendant’s rent, Onoja bypassed the pre-paid metre installed on the premises, in direct contravention of the tenancy agreement.
He further alleged that the defendant failed to pay N237,799.32 accumulated as a direct result of the metre bypass, despite being duly notified and requested to pay.
“The defendant is my tenant, I gave him a house on Jan. 25, 2025, I was in Jos when I received a call about the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company disconnecting electricity to my building.
“I went to the AEDC office to complain but I was told that my tenant had bypassed the metre.
“Lawrence was in debt of N400,000 and his neighbour was indebted to the tune of N544,000.
”They promised to pay the bills. Only the other tenant fulfilled his promise. Lawrence refused to pay N237,799.32,” Kewa said.
The plaintiff counsel said he served the defendant with a Six Months’ Notice to Quit dated July 11, 2025, notifying him of the non-renewal of the tenancy, and later a Seven-Day Notice dated Jan.26, 2026, of his intention to recover possession.
“There landlord gave me the power of attorney and I gave the defendant to sign but at the time, he did not have a witness,” he said.
The counsel to the defendant, Edache Felix, after checking the document presented to the court, said there was nothing to prove that the document emanated from AEDC since there was no signature or confirmation stamp.
“No notice has been issued to AEDC to produce the original of the document as such this document falls below the standard and expectations of the court,” Felix said.
The plaintiff stated that a few days before the expiration of the rent, the defendant paid money into the caretaker’s account as rent for a new year .
He said the payment was invalid because his tenancy had been duly terminated by the Notice to Quit.
Kewa prayed the court for an order for immediate recovery of possession of the premises, payment of N237.799.32 outstanding utility charges from the alleged metre bypass and the sum N200,000 for litigation.
The magistrate, Joy Faruk, adjourned the matter until June 8, 2026 for cross examination. (NAN)
