This Application was granted by the Court and parties were asked to join
issues as to the appropriate person to whom the rent the subject matter of
the dispute should be paid to.
ANALYSIS BY THE COURT
The facts of this case are not substantially in dispute. The Plaintiff’s claims
is the sum of 14,700,000.00 ( fourteen million, seven hundred thousand naira
being arrears of rent due to him from the Defendants for renting his property,
(a Six No 4 bedroom flats situated at plot 307 Gabes Street, Wuse District ,
Abuja) between 2004 and 2008. He further claims the sum of
N100, 000,000.00 (one hundred million naira only) being damages for
violation of the covenant to pay rent, as well as solicitors cost of N5,
000,000.00.
In their defence, the Defendants admitted the arrears of rent claimed by the
Plaintiff but contended that they were willing and ready to pay the sum as at
when due only to receive a letter from a third party (who subsequently asked
to be joined as an intervener in the course of this suit) in demanding that the
rent be paid to them. Accordingly, although the rent agreement was between
them and the Plaintiff, they no longer knew the rightful person to whom the
outstanding rent should be paid, hence the delay. The Defendants’ denied
the claim for legal fees, N100,000,000.00 (one hundred million naira) as
15