An Abuja High Court has been asked to award N50 million in general damages against a company, Auto Star Gallery Limited, over allegations bordering on illegal property possession.
The defendants, Chief F.I.O. Enekebe and Ide Plaza Nigeria Limited, prayed the court in a joint statement of defence and counterclaim filed by their lawyer, Fredricks Itula, SAN.
Auto Star Gallery Limited, the claimant, had filed the suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/1700/2026 and dated Aug. 27, to challenge its eviction from the six suites it occupies at Ide Plaza, Plot 484, Utako, Abuja.
The company, linked to the Secretary to the Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Onyemuche Nnamani, urged the court to declare that there exists a valid, binding and subsisting tenancy agreement between the claimants and defendants.
It argued that this was evidenced by WhatsApp correspondences and its subsequent payment and acknowledgement of N10.9 million.
Auto Star Gallery submitted that the intervention of the court was necessary to determine the rights of the parties.
But in their joint statement of defence and counterclaim, the defendants urged the court to award the damages against the claimant (company) over alleged illegal and forceful reopening and repossession of the suites.
They maintained that Auto Star was effectively evicted from Suites A7, A8, A9, A10, A11 and A12 at Ide Plaza by court officers in line with and pursuant to a warrant of possession and a writ of attachment and sale of goods issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
They alleged that after being lawfully evicted from the said premises by court officers, the claimant, in utter disobedience and disregard of the court and its officers, broke open the locks, reopened and re-entered the six suites.
The defendants further alleged that this act was perpetrated by the claimant in the evening of Dec. 17, 2025, after it had been lawfully evicted by court officers pursuant to a valid judgment and order of the court.
The defendants argued that the alleged unlawful repossession of the six suites/shops by Auto Star prevented other persons who had paid rent for the said property from moving into five of the suites, which they had paid for on Dec. 17, 2025.
They accused the claimant’s manager, security officer and other staff of going around intimidating and harassing the defendants’ staff members.
“The claimant/defendant by counterclaim’s manager, security and other staff have severally said for whoever cares to hear that its alter ego (Chief Onyemauche Nnamani) is the Secretary to the Police Service Commission and that there is nothing anybody, including the courts, can do to get them out of the said premises,” they alleged in the court document.
The defendants averred that Auto Star’s actions had adversely affected patronage and businesses at Ide Plaza, where the suites are located, causing severe financial and credibility losses.
They added that following the alleged unlawful re-entry and trespass by Auto Star, they had to engage the services of Fredricks E. Itula, SAN of Fredricks E. Itula SAN & Co. to seek the intervention of the court.
They, therefore, prayed the court to declare that Auto Star acted unlawfully and illegally and committed trespass when it broke open the locks and re-entered the said suites.
Besides the N50 million damages sought, they urged the court to direct Auto Star to pay N4.9 million, being the total outstanding judgment sum in suit number: CV/392/2022 as of Dec. 17, 2025.
The defendants further sought an order directing Auto Star to immediately vacate and hand over vacant possession of the said suites, as well as payment of N10 million as the cost of the action.