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- A lady discovers her sister's landlord and neighbour are illegally tapping electricity from her generator and prepaid metre
- They threatened to sue the landlord after he demanded their support to retire the compound's light
- Nigerians share their experiences with landlords, encouraging the lady to sue the landlord.
In a quiet compound in Lagos, a seemingly ordinary situation escalated into a complex confrontation involving illegal electricity connections, deceit, and eventual threats of legal action.
This incident highlights tenants' challenges when dealing with unscrupulous landlords and neighbours.
A lady, identified as ps_wears on X, narrated the ordeal between her sister and her sister's landlord in a thread. The story begins when her sister relocates to Lagos and settles into her new apartment with her help.
Among the initial purchases was a powerful generator, which comfortably powered the fridge and air-conditioner. For five days, everything seemed to work perfectly until the generator suddenly lost its ability to handle the load.
How landlord, neighbours were ‘tapping’ electricity
The lady suspected foul play, and her instincts proved correct. Neighbours in two other houses within the compound were illegally tapping electricity from the generator.
As the tenant’s sister described in a now-viral X post, "We turned on the generator, and two houses in the compound had light... We did a video recording as evidence because some people can move mad.”
Realising that their generator was supporting multiple households led to frustration and, more surprisingly, the discovery that the landlord and another tenant had secretly connected their electrical systems to the tenant’s prepaid meter.
After realising that the generator couldn’t carry the load due to the illegal tapping, the tenant enlisted an electrician's help to inspect the building's wiring.
They discovered that the illegal connections were extensive, covering lights and powering the compound's pumping machine and security lights.
According to their electrician, this had been an ongoing issue that had driven the previous tenant to leave due to exorbitant electricity bills.
The tenant’s sister, armed with video recordings of the illegal wiring and the moment the generator overloaded and sparked, confronted the landlord. As she later recounted, “You did an illegal connection that burnt wires, and instead of you begging, you want to play smart because we are women, ba?”
Landlord calls for meeting after being caught in the act
The landlord called for a compound meeting after the incident, claiming he was concerned about fixing the lack of power in the building. However, the lady quickly pointed out that it was crucial to address the cause of the power outage before discussing any repairs.
She asked the landlord, “Have you investigated the reason for the no light in the compound?” His hesitation made it clear that he wasn’t prepared to deal with the accusations head-on.
The meeting quickly spiralled out of control when she played the video evidence. The landlord, caught off-guard by the recordings, tried to dismiss the claims.
He even threatened to serve the tenant a quit notice, lamenting that he regretted allowing her to rent the property. But with the proof in hand, the tenant's legal team stepped in, warning of the legal consequences if the issue wasn’t resolved.
As tensions rose, the landlord tried to seize the phone with the video evidence, but bystanders restrained him. The meeting ended in chaos, with both sides exchanging heated words and the landlord’s wife pleading for peace.
This incident underscores the importance of vigilance in shared housing situations. It highlights the lengths some landlords and tenants may go to exploit others and the value of gathering clear evidence in resolving such disputes.
As the tenant’s sister remarked, “Forgiving a wicked person is a sign of weakness. Show them more wickedness, let them know you sabi.”
Legal action to follow
The tenant has taken control of the situation, but the confrontation is far from over. This case may soon be tested in court, where the landlord's illegal activities will face legal scrutiny.
The outcome will serve as a lesson to tenants and landlords about the consequences of dishonest dealings and the power of standing up for one’s rights.
Reactions to lady vs landlord story
As seen on X, Nigerians react to the story, with some sharing their experience with landlords and encouraging her to sue the landlord, while some instigate the lady's story as all cooked up.
TheRadar has gathered numerous reactions to the story and presented them below.
@khansofkhans11_ said: “Always quick to play that “you women” card. I personally don’t like houses with landlords. Don’t leave his neck. Press am!!!”
@nosafk wrote: “At this point, you need to deal with him. He should apologise because he was stealing from you. It is OK to be a landlord and apologise to your tenant if you are wrong. Sue him to court and ask for damages🤝.”
@Aynana24 expressed: “Make I hear say you no sue that man… I will use my two legs to look for you everywhere.”
@titusxp replied: “We know all these are made up for ads. But still very creative and entertaining.”
@aduke_olounje1 wrote: “This whole narration is beginning to look like a trumped up story. 😂calm down please, easy on us.”
@UnclebeeOla said: “This gist, I must follow am to the end. I'd be glad if you guys sue him, people have to pay for wickedness.”
@obinnaxl replied: “Instead of him to come clean and apologise he still wanted to collect money from you guys to fix what he caused? The devil is not in hell fire i swear😭”
@dunniszn expressed: “I just knew you women would be trouble” lmaooo they’re always so quick to drop that women card. I just hope the court threat wasn’t an empty one sha and if they try nonsense, you and the former tenant will sue him and his co-tapper.”
@Anufadele commented: “You people are wicked he is just trying to have light in his house and you are all about him like that🤦🏿 abeg u fit Drop Ur house address i wan Go See this landlord tomorrow he need to chop better moro 😂.”
@EmemXavierAtat replied: “I trust @IkejaElectric; the fine for illegal connection is N1m. Plus, other damages wey dem don do. Wallahi, that landlord go don dey find buyer for the house like dis like dis. Someone needs to teach these Lagos landlords a lesson.”
@Real_Chiomcee wrote: “Deal with him severely, that was how my landlady negotiated with PHED and her bills were distributed to all the meters in the compound. I refuse that to my flat. I'm still on the meter with them. Wouldn't mind taking a court action.”
@imb1604 said: “Some Lagos Landlords & fraud are 5&6. A landlord byepassed EKEDC meter & when he was disconnected, he wanted the whole compound to contribute in d fine & I told him it's not my fault n I'm not contributing a dime. I bought my PPM & install it, I ws d only 1 wit light.”
Electricity customers may get another tariff hike as government’s monthly subsidy hits N181.63b
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that there are indications of another tariff hike in the offing as the monthly electricity tariff subsidy to be paid by the Federal Government increased to N181.63 billion in September from N102.30 billion in May.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the increase in the monthly electricity subsidy raises speculations over a possible tariff hike in the October Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) unless the cost of power generation drops.