A Nigerian man based in Ghana, who is a landlord and businessman, Osita Osinachi, tells TEMITOPE ADETUNJI how he was arrested after a female tenant, Blessing Effiong, also a Nigerian, died in his apartment
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Osita Osinachi. I am 33 years old, and I am from Port Harcourt but currently based in Accra, Ghana. I am a businessman. All my businesses are based in Accra.
What part of Accra are you based?
Weija Old Barrier area, off Lapaz.
How long have you been living in Ghana?
I’ve been living in Ghana for three years.
Why did you decide to site your businesses in Ghana instead of Nigeria?
It’s a personal choice I made.
In a recent social media post, you said you were arrested over the death of your tenant. What really happened?
Yes, that was true. The lady is a Nigerian. Her name is Blessing Effiong. She died some days ago after a brief illness. I have not been able to locate her family or the boyfriend’s family. I was arrested on December 21, because I went to make a report at the police station about her death, and they detained me. But I was able to settle my way out later that day. I have spent so much over this case; I have spent over N300,000 in the past few days.
You said the tenant died after a brief illness. What was the nature of the illness?
Blessing Effiong moved into my apartment on November 8. She and her Edo boyfriend both came to rent my apartment together. Blessing told me that someone gave her my contact. She said she was told that I do give out furnished apartments with a bed. I told her that was true and gave her the prices of each room. She settled for a room-and-parlour apartment. She moved in with her Edo boyfriend. So, they were living together.
On Monday, December 19, I went to her apartment to notify her to get ready to pay because her rent was about to expire in a few weeks’ time. On getting to her apartment, I found that she covered herself up and looked ill. She told me she had been sick for the past three days.
I asked about her boyfriend; she told me he travelled to Northern Ghana. But I saw that her sister from Akwa Ibom State was with her.
I wished her a quick recovery, asked her to take care of herself, then I left. I thought it was just a minor sickness but on Tuesday, I got a call from a particular hospital, saying I should come because Blessing was on admission there. They said I should come because her boyfriend could not be reached on phone then. They said she mentioned my name when they asked her to provide someone they could call. They said they needed my attention because they needed payment to be able to commence treatment for her.
I went to the hospital, a community private hospital and I was able to see the doctor. I asked him what was wrong with Blessing but he said they had not made any diagnosis yet. He said they were trying their best to give her the best treatment, but said a deposit needed to be made.
I would later learn that she was discharged in the evening of that day after I had left. I wasn’t aware of this. So, around 7.30pm that evening, I got a call that she was back home. I rushed down to her apartment to check on her. On getting there, I saw her and her sister. I asked about her family members and told her to provide their contacts, including that of her sister, but she told me her phone’s battery was dead and she was feeling sleepy too. She promised to provide the contacts after charging her phone. But by next morning, she was dead and her sister who was with her had run away.
How well do you know her boyfriend?
Oh, I don’t really know him much, as we’ve never even sat down to talk before. His name is Samson Lucky Adoba, also known as Sparrow. He is from Benin.
What does he do for a living?
Blessing told me he was yet to get a job; that he was doing online work.
What do you mean by online work?
I think it is Yahoo Yahoo (Internet fraud) stuff.
Who raised the alarm about Blessing’s death?
Nobody raised the alarm. I had promised to check on her the next day. So, I went to her apartment between 6.30am and 7am to check on her. But I discovered that she was dead and her sister, who was with her the night before, was nowhere to be found.
What happened at the police station when you went to report the matter?
I went to the police station to report the incident; they detained me because her boyfriend and none of her relatives could be located. I was detained for some time but I was later released that same day. I was released on self-recognition; I also have a CID friend, so, I was released. I settled the police with some cash so that they could follow me to evacuate the corpse for deposition at the mortuary, since the relatives could not be reached.
What is the name of the police station you were taken to?
Weija Unit Police Station, Accra.
What can you say about the deceased?
Blessing is from Akwa Ibom. She was working with a tiger nut drink company in Accra before her demise. I saw her as someone hard-working and nice, but she was stubborn. She hardly took to advice. I don’t have an idea what the sickness was and I am still in shock about her death.
Did she have a guarantor when you rented your apartment to her?
A Ghanaian lady named Jessica gave her my contact to call me as my number is placed online. In Ghana here, guarantors are not really required to rent an apartment. She got my number and called me that she needed an apartment.
What was the reaction of your family when they heard you had been arrested over the death of your tenant?
My family members are in Nigeria, in the East. They are looking for a way to locate Blessing’s family members.
Has anyone from Nigeria reached out to you after you made a post on Facebook about Blessing’s death?
No one has reached out to me. I haven’t heard from any of Blessing’s family members.
What about her mobile phone? Why didn’t you check for her family’s contact on the phone?
There’s no family contact saved on the phone. The only number she saved as “my sis” has refused to respond; instead, the person blocked their WhatsApp.
What happened to Blessing’s properties in the apartment?
Her properties are still intact up till this moment.
Were any efforts made to speak to her employer, perhaps they will have information about her family?
Yes, they said she worked for three weeks with the company, and she owed the company for some products she took but had yet to pay for. About her family, they said they didn’t know them or have any information about them.
The younger sister that you said was with her, how long had she lived with her before the incident?
She lived with her, I think, for a week plus.
Did Blessing tell you anything about her while she was alive?
No, she did not tell me anything about her, except about her work.
You said the younger sister ran away. What gave you the impression that the sister ran away or what do you think could have made her run away?
Maybe because of the death issue; I think maybe she thought they would hold her responsible for the death of Blessing.
You said Blessing’s rent was about to be due. Was it monthly rent and how many months did she pay for?
Yes, I do collect monthly rent, but she paid for two months from November.
Do you think the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana is aware of the matter?
I’m not sure they’re aware.
