A landlady, Mrs Goodness Ukanwa, told a Grade I Area Court Kubwa, Abuja, that her tenant, Lateef Agbaje, poisoned and killed her 19 chickens and one security dog.
The police charged Agbaje of Dutse, Abuja, with mischief.
Being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, John Okpa, Ukanwa said the defendant threw dead rats and poisonous substance in the compound, sometime in May.
”My chickens and security dog fed on the substances and died. A little girl in the compound noticed my chickens were dying and tied substances they ate in a bag to prevent more chickens from dying.
” I confronted the defendant over the issue and he told me that he put the poison to get rid of rats.
”I asked him to show me the dead rats but he did not. His wife sympathised with me over the loss of my chickens but he scolded her for doing so, ” she said.
Ukanwa said that during the confrontation, the defendant said his wife does not like chickens and he would not have moved into my house if he knew I reared chickens.
“He called me names and we ended up at the police station.
” A policewoman advised him to apologise but he told her that killing chickens was not a criminal case and that anything that would make him pay for the dead chickens would make him kill more.
“When he discovered that he was going to be taken to court, he apologised, saying he did not know I would take him to the police station.
“I told him his apology is for settlement and I cannot bear the financial burden alone because I fed the chickens from April till date, ” she said.
The prosecution counsel tendered the witness statement which was admitted as exhibit.
The judge, Muhammad Adamu adjourned the matter until October 21 for continuation of hearing.
