A Nigerian man based in Ghana, who is a landlord and businessman, Osita Osinachi,tells how he was arrestedafter a female tenant, Blessing Effiong, also a Nigerian, died in hisapartment

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Osita Osinachi.I am 33 years old, and I am from PortHarcourt but currently based in Accra,Ghana.I am a businessman. All my businesses are based in Accra.

Whatpart ofAccra are youbased?

WeijaOldBarrierarea, offLapaz.

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 recentsocial media post,yousaidyou were arrested over the death of your tenant. What really happened?

Yes, that was true. The lady isa Nigerian. Hernameis Blessing Effiong.She died some days ago after a brief illness.I have not been able to locate her familyorthe boyfriend’s family.I was arrested on December21,because I went to make a report at the police station about her death, and they detained me.ButI was able to settle my way out later that day.I have spent so muchover this case; I have spentoverN300,000in 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 thatsomeone gave her my contact. Shesaid she was told thatI do give out furnished apartments with abed.I told her that was true and gave her the prices of each room. She settled foraroom-and-parlourapartment. She moved in with her Edo boyfriend. So,they were living together.

On Monday, December19, 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 hadbeen sick for the past three days.

I askedabouther boyfriend; she told me he travelled toNorthern Ghana.But I saw that hersister from Akwa IbomStatewas with her.

I wished hera quick recovery, asked her to take care of herself,then I left.I thought it was just a minor sickness buton Tuesday,I got a call froma particularhospital, sayingI should come becauseBlessing was on admission there. They said I should come because herboyfriendcould not be reached on phone then. They said she mentioned my name when they asked herto provide someone they couldcall.Theysaid they neededmyattention because they needed payment to be able to commence treatment for her.

Iwentto the hospital, a communityprivate hospitalandIwas able to see thedoctor.I asked him what was wrongwith Blessing buthe said theyhadnotmade any diagnosisyet. 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 wasdischargedin the evening ofthat dayafter I had left.I wasn’t awareof this.So, around 7.30pm that evening, I got a call that shewas back home.I rusheddown 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’sbattery was dead and shewas feeling sleepy too.She promised to provide the contactsafter charging her phone. But bynext morning, shewas dead and her sister who was with her hadrun away.

How well do you know her boyfriend?

Oh, I don’t really know him much, as we’ve never even sat downtotalk 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 hewasyet to get ajob; that he was doingonline work.

What do you mean by online work?

I think it is YahooYahoo (Internet fraud)stuff.

Who raised the alarmabout Blessing’s death?

Nobody raised the alarm.I had promised to check on her the next day. So, I went to her apartmentbetween 6.30amand7amto check on her. ButI discoveredthatshe 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 thepolice station to reportthe incident;they detained me because her boyfriend and none of her relatives could belocated.I was detained for some timebut Iwas later released that same day.I was releasedonself-recognition; I also have a CID friend, so,I was released.I settled thepolicewith some cash so that they could followmeto 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?

WeijaUnitPoliceStation, Accra.

What can you say about the deceased?

Blessing is from AkwaIbom. She was working with atiger nut drinkcompany in Accra before her demise.I sawher as someone hard-working and nice, but shewas stubborn. Shehardly took toadvice.I don’t have an ideawhat the sickness wasand I am still in shock about her death.

Did she have a guarantorwhen 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 youhadbeen arrested over the death of your tenant?

My family members are in Nigeria, in theEast. They arelooking for a way to locateBlessing’sfamily 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 ofBlessing’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 weekswith the company, and she owed the company forsome 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 paidfor two months from November.

Do you think the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana is aware of the matter?

I’m not sure they’re aware. (Saturday PUNCH)