An Oyo State High Court has ordered a lawyer, Olayinka Okin, to pay a Supreme Court Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola, the sum of N1,805,500.

This was after Okin reportedly failed to give account of about N2m rent he collected on the property of the apex court justice.

Ariwoola, in the suit marked I/1346/2020 and dated October 30, sought an order of Justice Moshud Abass of the Ring Road High Court 2, Ibadan, Oyo State, “entering summary judgment in the sum of N1,805,500 against the defendant (Okin), being indebtedness on rent due to the claimant on his property situate at Akolade House, 5 Olorunlogbon Street, Apete, Ibadan, formerly under the management of the defendant.”

The defendant, a lawyer and property manager, was said to have been commissioned by the justice to manage his property sometime in 2015, “but did not remit any rent collected on the property.”

In a 23-paragraph affidavit deposed to personally by Justice Ariwoola, it was alleged that “following the repeated demands made by the claimant for account and remittance of the rent collected, the defendant forwarded an account which states that the money due to the claimant is N2,895,000.

“The defendant remitted the sum of N600,000 to the claimant and further deducted his commission (professional fee for the management of the property), which amounts to the sum of N289,500, leaving the balance due to the claimant at N2,005,500.

“Following series of demands, the defendant on November 29, 2019, issued a cheque in the sum of N200,000, reducing the debt to the sum of N1,805,500. Although I believe the property generated more money than stated in the defendant’s letter of February 26, 2019, as receipts from tenants in the building show more money than the amount presented by the defendant, but in good faith, I agreed to the said sum while awaiting remittance of same by the defendant.

“When it became obvious that the defendant was not willing to pay me the money due from the management of my property, I then briefed my solicitor, Mr Musibau Adetunbi, to recover the outstanding sum from the defendant.”

Moving the application on Monday for an order of summary judgment in the matter, Kunle Kalejaye (SAN), who held the brief of Adetunbi, told the court that there was no counter affidavit to the Supreme Court Justice’s application.

Justice Abass pronounced the summary judgment of N1,805,500 in favour of the claimant, adding that the defendant should pay “10 per cent interest on the sum from today (Monday) till final payment.”