By Gladys John
A woman, Madam Grace Okpalanweze, has approached a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State seeking an order for her daughter-in-law, Uzoamaka, to vacate a two-bedroom flat in Mararaba.
Okpalanweze told the court that she built the two-bedroom flat from proceeds of her business, which her late son, Ifeanyi, managed before his death in August 2022.
She said the defendant was married to her late son and had been living in the premises since his death.
“I accommodated the defendant after my son’s funeral to enable her mourn her husband and recover from the loss.
“I never asked her to pay rent in the four years she lived in the premises.
“I need the house for my personal use because I no longer have means of livelihood apart from the rent I get from other tenants,” she said.
She told the court that she had repeatedly appealed to the defendant to vacate the premises but the defendant had refused to comply.
She further alleged that Uzoamaka had been managing a business owned by her late son and that she never gave account of how much she gets.
Okpalanweze said she served the defendant with a seven-day notice of the owner’s intention to recover possession of the premises, adding that the notice had expired.
She therefore prayed the court to order the defendant to vacate the house.
She also urged the court to order the defendant to settle the outstanding electricity bill incurred during her stay and return the prepaid electricity meter card before vacating the premises.
In addition, the plaintiff asked the court to order the defendant to leave the apartment in a habitable condition.
She further sought N500,000 as the cost of instituting the action and engaging counsel, as well as the cost of serving court processes on the defendant.
In her response, Uzoamaka told the court that she and her late husband jointly built the house.
She also said she was not informed by her husband that his mother owned the business in question.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Joy Faruk, adjourned the matter until Sept. 28 for continuation of the defence. (NAN)
Edited by Cecilia Odey/Sadiya Hamza