Police Arrest Landlord Over Alleged Forceful Eviction, De-Roofing of Tenant’s Home in Obio-Akpor

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a Ghanaian landlord following an alleged midnight-style eviction that left a pregnant woman and her two young children exposed to harsh weather after their rented apartment was reportedly de-roofed in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

Detectives from the Ozuoba Police Division picked up the suspect, identified as Frimpong Samuel, in connection with the alleged destruction of the residence of his Nigerian tenant, Anozie Tochukwu, along NTA - Mgbuoba Road. The incident is said to have occurred after a dispute over the tenant’s exit from the property.

According to Tochukwu, he took possession of the apartment in January 2024 and had consistently met his rental obligations. He explained that in 2025, the landlord issued him a notice informing him of plans to renovate the building and advised him not to renew his tenancy when it expires in January 2026.

Trouble reportedly escalated on February 1, 2026, after Tochukwu said he informed the landlord that he had secured a new apartment and requested a 14-day grace period to relocate. He claimed the request was still within the time frame when he received a distress call from his wife.

“She called me to say the landlord had removed the roof,” Tochukwu recounted, adding that heavy rainfall followed shortly after, destroying household items and important documents.

He said his pregnant wife and two children, both under three years old, were left exposed to the cold.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Command, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the suspect has been taken into custody. She noted that investigations are ongoing and assured that the landlord would be charged to court once the probe is concluded.

Reacting to the incident, a Port Harcourt-based human rights lawyer, Raymond Okocha, described the action as a blatant abuse of the law. He said, “The landlord took the law into his own hands in the most barbaric way possible without serving a statutory Notice to Quit, without a Seven-day Notice of Intention to Recover Premises, and without any Order of Court.”

Okocha called for strict enforcement of tenancy laws, warning that unlawful evictions pose serious risks to vulnerable families and undermine the rule of law.