Caretaker on Judging Matters
Judging Matters, the legal court setting reality TV show owned by media personality and famous event host, Ebuka-Obi Uchendu has again boosted another dubious Lagos State caretaker who has been cheating a co-tenant for over two years.
The plaintiff, Mary Bundu, dragged her co-tenant who also doubles as the caretaker of a 20 room command, Henry Apoede, to Judging Matter so that Justice Olusola Williams could intervene in a matter she sees as cheating and wickedness on her.
Mary when asked the reason for appearing before the Judge explained that Mr Henry has been overcharging her for the monthly electricity bill for over two years, while the other occupants of the compound have a jolly time.
She said her electricity bill as shared by Mr Henry had been N3,500, while other tenants pay as less as N1,500, which means she has been paying N2,000 more than others.
According to her, she works as a hairstylist which make her leave the house early in the morning and return late in the night, so she never really had time to know much about happenings in her compound.
She added that she always pays any amount Mr Henry who shares the electricity bill tells her to pay, until the day she had a chat with her neighbour who disclosed that she had been overcharged by the defendant.
In her calculations, she has been defrauded to the tune of N56,000 which the total of the N2,000 overcharge she has paid to Henry for the past 28 months as electricity bill. She prayed the court rules in her favour by ordering Mr Henry the Caretaker to refund the said amount.
In his defence, however, Mr Henry said it was true that he has been charging her the sum of N3,500 for monthly electricity bill against the amount other who stay in bigger apartments in the same compound pay.
He, however, Mary’s overbilling was because she is the newest tenant in the compound as other tenants have stayed for over a decade in the house, adding that he had lived for about 18years in the house.
According to him, the landlord made him the caretaker of the house because he had stayed the longest in the house, and it was his responsibility to share the electricity bill the way he deemed fit.
The apparently furious Ebuka the General Counsel and Justice Olusola Williams, tagged his action share wickedness and having gone through the documented evidence of the amount being paid by all the occupants of the said compound, it was discovered that sometimes others pay as low as N800, while Mary the plaintiff was still made to pay N3,500.
Justice Williams immediately ruled in Mary’s favour, asking Mr Henry to pay her the sum of N56,000 being the total of the N2,000 excess charge she has been made to pay for the past 28 months.
She was, however advised to be more vigilant, investigative of issues around her and be smarter by looking out for persons who might want to take advantage of her innocence next time.
