Talk to Steph: MY ROOMMATE IS VERY TROUBLESOME, I CAN’T COPE

Hello Stephanie,

I am a student schooling in a university in the southwest part of Nigeria. I am in my second year. I am actually squatting with someone I know from home – he used to stay in my neighbourhood before his parents were transferred. He is older than me. The issue is, he gets involved in a lot of trouble and I feel this will affect me also. He takes drugs, he smokes and drinks a lot. He always has one new girlfriend every week. Countless times women have fought in his room because of this. One time I got injured in the process when one girl threw an empty bottle to another girl. The pieces almost cut my eye.

Now, I suspect he is also a cultist. I have seen him with dangerous instrument before. He is very shady and I know he steals to sustain his drinking habits. He experiments on too many bad things. I don’t have any money to get a place, and I don’t know anyone else whom I can squat with. How can I stay away from all this trouble and still maintain the free accommodation I have? I have slept in class before but that is dangerous because thugs can come there and steal anything from you or beat you just for the heck of it.

What can I do? I’m very worried.