A Nigerian journalist, Mr Iwuchukwu Francis, has petitioned the Nigerian Police Force over an alleged dispute with an estate agent concerning a rented apartment in the Adamo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Francis is demanding a refund of N570,000 he allegedly paid to an estate agent, Bolaji Ojo, who operates under the name Ojo’s Properties (Land and Property Consultancy), in connection with the apartment.
The journalist, in statements made before the police at Imota and Araro on June 8, 2026, alleged that his initial discussion with Ojo about renting a room-and-parlour self-contained apartment began by telephone on April 1, before they met physically on April 3.
According to him, he subsequently transferred N570,000 from his First Bank account at about 1:01 p.m. on April 3 into an Access Bank account provided by Ojo.
The account, numbered 1690939511 and bearing the name Temitope Adebayo, was allegedly identified as belonging to the estate agent’s wife.
Francis said the payment comprised N400,000 for rent, N50,000 agreement fee, N50,000 commission, N50,000 damages deposit, N15,000 security/CDA fee and N5,000 cleaner’s fee.
He alleged that before making the payment, Ojo informed him that electrical wiring in the apartment had not been completed but assured him that the work would be concluded before the end of April.
The estate agent also allegedly told him that each apartment in the building had been allocated a prepaid electricity meter, although the meter for his apartment had yet to arrive.
Francis said that following the payment, he reached an oral agreement with Ojo to take possession of the apartment and commence preparations for his relocation.
He added that he paid an additional N5,000 consultancy fee into Ojo’s Opay account on April 23, after which the estate agent gave him a tenancy agreement form to complete, sign and return.
According to him, Ojo accompanied him to the property on April 27 and handed over the keys to both the apartment and the main gate.
Francis alleged that Ojo subsequently assured him that the tenancy agreement would be forwarded to the property owner for approval and that a rent receipt would be issued.
The journalist said he moved his belongings into the apartment on May 6 after informing Ojo, and began making improvements to the property.
He claimed to have installed a solar power system on May 7 to provide electricity pending the installation of the prepaid meter.
Francis further alleged that he spent N150,000 on painting the apartment and incurred additional expenses on carpentry works, including a wall hanger, net door, repairs to the kitchen cabinet and a cabinet for DSTV, GOTV and Strong decoder equipment.
The dispute allegedly escalated on May 24 when Francis returned to the property and discovered that the gate leading to his apartment had been locked with a large padlock.
He said the development forced him to instruct a carpenter to suspend further work and hold back items already paid for.
Francis alleged that he contacted Ojo, who initially claimed not to know about the development but later linked the situation to a disagreement over electricity supply.
The journalist is now demanding the refund of the monies he paid in connection with securing the apartment.
According to Francis, Ojo signed an undertaking at the Imota Police Station on June 8, promising to refund the disputed amount.
He further alleged that an earlier promise made by Ojo at the Araro Police Station to commence the refund process on the same day was also not fulfilled.
Francis claimed that the estate agent had subsequently become unreachable and had failed to respond to calls allegedly made to him by the police.
The matter is reportedly being handled by the police, while the allegations against Ojo remain subject to investigation.