Police arraign artiste for allegedly refusing to pay hotel bills

• Court orders firm to compensate customer over faulty refrigerator

The police yesterday arraigned a musician,‎Olaoluwa Owolabi, before an Igbosere Magistrate Court for allegedly refusing to pay the sum of N92,800, being the bill of services rendered to him by two hotels in Lagos‎. The 29-year-old is facing a two-count charge bordering on obtaining of hotel services and refusal to pay.

The police prosecuting officer, Corporal Friday Mameh, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence between August 1 and September 5, 2017. He said the incident took place at Strait Haven Hotel, located at Mayaki Usman, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, and Diamond View Hotel, at Chevron Roundabout, Lekki respectively.

The prosecutor also said that on September 5, around 9:00a.m. at Strait Haven Hotel, Owolabi obtained the services of the hotel, which amounted to N79,200, but could not pay when the hotel demanded payment, and according to the prosecutor, the offence committed is punishable under Section 313 (a) of the criminal law of Lagos State ‎2015.

When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty. Consequently, Magistrate B.I. Bakare, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N150,000, with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till September 28, for mention.

Meanwhile, an Igbosere Chief Magistrates Court, Lagos, has ordered a distributor of LG Electronics, Fouani Nigeria Limited, to pay a total sum of N736,000, to one of its clients, Mr. Kunle Ogidi, for selling to him a defective LG refrigerator.

The court presided over by Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni, made the order while delivering judgment in a breach of contract suit filed by Ogidi and the LG Electronics distributor.

In the suit marked MCL/2645/17, Ogidi, through his counsel, Muyiwa Ayojimi of Centre for Consumer Concern (CCC), a not-for-profit group, set up with the league of consumer advocacy, had dragged the company to court for selling to him a defective refrigerator.

The complainant claimed the sum of N496,000, being the purchase price of the refrigerator, and an interest on the purchasing sum at the rate of 15 per cent per month effective from February 2014 till judgment was delivered in the suit, and thereafter, at the rate of 10 per cent per month until final liquidation.

He also claimed the sum of N30,000; N60,000; and N500,000, being the cost of conveying the refrigerator, cost of the refrigerator owing to loss of confidence for repeated repair/replacement, and for loss of enjoyment of the said refrigerator.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Magistate Layeni after citing several authorities, ordered the defendant, Fouani Nigeria Limited to pay the sum of N496,000, to the claimant, being the purchasing price of the refrigerator.

Layeni also ordered the defendant the sum of N30,000; N60,000; N100,000; and N50,000, being the cost of transporting the item from the claimant’s residence to the defendant’s office; the cost of the item owing to loss of confidence; loss of enjoyment of the said refrigerator, attendant cost of communication to remedy initial remedial effort and gross disruption of claimant’s grocery storage; and cost of instituting the suit.