By Edem Archibong, Calabar
A bizarre drama unfolded in Calabar, Cross River State, where a landlord–tenant dispute between two lawyers spiraled into an extraordinary display of lawlessness. Instead of following the due process she is trained to uphold, a lawyer allegedly resorted to using street thugs to eject her legal colleague from a one-bedroom apartment.
The incident, which has stirred outrage among residents and legal observers, involved Barrister Nta Ekpikin Mkpang, a former Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch. She reportedly justified her actions by branding her colleague, Barrister Daniel Ekpo, as “a thief and a liar,” insisting her decision was fully warranted.
According to her narrative, Barr. Mkpang claimed that Ekpo manipulated her mother, Madam Okpo Ekpikin, into renting him a one-bedroom apartment initially intended for a single short-term occupant such as a youth corps member. She alleged that Ekpo promised to stay for only six months but refused to vacate after the agreed period.
Matters escalated when, after her complaints to the NBA Disciplinary Committee were dismissed for lack of merit, she allegedly opted for self-help — a move many say contradicts the professional ethics of the legal profession. Doors, windows, and other household fixtures were reportedly damaged as part of the forceful eviction process.
But Barrister Daniel Ekpo tells a starkly different story.
The ejected tenant maintains that all allegations against him are false. He says he legitimately rented the apartment in 2022 as a yearly tenant and has never owed rent. Ekpo explained that his rent, which was due to expire in November 2025, had been paid a month earlier through the bank.
However, to his shock, the payment was refunded weeks later by his colleague, who demanded he vacate the apartment immediately. When he requested six months’ grace to secure a new place, the request was allegedly rejected.
What followed, according to Ekpo, was nothing short of a nightmare. He claims that his colleague, her mother, three siblings, and four hired thugs stormed the apartment accompanied by an electrician and carpenter who forcibly dismantled his doors. During the chaos, he alleges the hoodlums ransacked his belongings, carting away ₦4.7 million in cash, and even pointed a gun at him to prevent resistance.
The disturbing incident has raised fresh concerns about rising cases of self-help, even among those expected to champion the rule of law.
