Landlords in Kogi prefer renting houses to yahoo boys - Estate Manager, alleges

A renowned estate Manager in Kogi State, Hon. Peter Suleiman, has decried the spate at which landlords are giving their houses to tenants who are known for advance fee fraud, (yahoo boys) instead of people doing genuine businesses.

Speaking to our correspondent on Monday, Hon. Suleiman disclosed that this development is encouraging crime and criminalities in Kogi State.

According to him, many house owners have jacked up their yearly house rent without doing any renovations.

Our Kogi State Correspondent, reports that Hon. Suleiman, who is the Chief Executive Officer, Good Trust Estate Management Limited, admonished the State Government to urgently check the excesses of this landlords as their continued exploitation of genuine Citizens will spell doom for the State.

His words" It is quite unfortunate that landlords in Lokoja and it environs prefer to give their houses to yahoo boys instead of law abiding Citizens. 

"Just recently, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC) apprehended some yahoo boys in Lokoja. Since they now know that staying in an hotel will expose their nefarious activities, they now prefer renting houses.

" When they approach this landlords, they can pay for a single or room and parlour self contain for two or more years at a high amount. Can you imagine, if you approach this landlords for house, they will open up to you that if you are not a yahoo boy, they won't give you their house, because they are not sure if you can pay the next rent Also, they will insist that you pay for two year. 

"The essence of them insisting on Yahoo boys is that, they know this guy's will not stay fully in the house before exiting. What is now the hope of the common Man who is doin genuine business on the street? This is promoting cyber fraud. Everybody can not do cyber fraud or yahoo yahoo as they all call it. 

"The Kogi State Government should as a matter of urgency come up with a policy to checkmate the excesses of this house owners in Lokoja, and other part of Kogi State before all our Children, including our young generation see advance fee fraud as the best line of making money"

Hon. Hon. Suleiman, however, lamented on the prevalence of fake house agent operating in the State.

"This fake house agents masquerading around are the people deceiving this landlords by bringing Yahoo boys who will pay heavily for house rent. Kogi State is a Civil Servant state and does not deserve this level of exploitations amidst this harsh economy. Recently, I was managing one house, the landlords called me that he has jacked up his rent from N150, 000 to N600,000.

" I now asked, what is the modalities for this sudden increase when their is no new renovation in the house? He told me openly that, in the next compound, an agent brought some boys that paid N700,000 for house rent, and I expected him to still remain with the old price. 

"This is barbaric, satanic and should be stopped. If not urgently addressed, Kogi State will be snowballing into a hub of cyber fraud simply because of the mindset of this landlord who want to en-mass quick wealth for themselves without considering the implications" he stated.

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