In a bid to safeguard her fundamental right, a Lagos businesswoman, Maryann Chukwueke has dragged her brother, Anthony Chukwueke, the chairman board of directors of Germaine Auto Centre Company before a federal high court in Lagos.

Joined as co-respondents are, a Limited liability Company Germaine Auto Centre Limited, the company secretary of the company, Martha Etemu, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba and your Assistant Commissioner of Police, Oketunji Lawrence Bola. 

According to an affidavit sworn to by Maryann Chukwueke, she averred that she is a founding member of Germaine Auto Centre Company and has over the years contributed to the development of the company.

Germaine Auto Centre is a family business owned by her and other siblings. Anthony Chukwueke is a member of the family who was working in the Department of Petroleum Resources when the company was set up, but used his status and accumulated wealth to muscle her and some other siblings out from the management of the company. Thereafter, she established her own company – Admiralty Motors Limited in 2002, which she has successfully managed and grown into a well-known brand in the country.

However, sometimes in 2019, Anthony Chukwueke, seeing her exploits and how she had successfully managed her company, approach her to come and assist with the management of Germaine Auto Centre. After much pleas from him and all members of the family, including her mother, she accepted to assist in running the company.

Maryann Chukwueke said she had successfully managed the company and made it a viable business enterprise, and the company under her management had also expanded its operations.

However, in April 2021, she noticed that Anthony Chukwueke was representing the assets of her company, Admiralty Motors Limited, as his own and he had even gone ahead to do an evaluation of her company in the name of Germaine Auto Centre Limited.

Also, within the same period, Maryann said she noticed that Anthony Chukwueke had caused a solar panel to be installed on her company’s property located at Shapata, Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos State. She claimed her brother neither informed her nor sought her consent. 

The activities of Germaine Auto Company vide the instrumentality of Anthony Chukwueke caused her to believe that the company, Anthony Chukwueke and Martha Etemu were making efforts to unlawfully claim her company and its assets. Maryann added that when she realised that they were trying to claim her company and its assets, she locked up the premises to prevent trespass on the property.

She alleged that Anthony mobilised thugs, most of whom were staff members of Germaine Auto Centre, to forcefully invade the premises of Admiralty Motors. However, when they were unable to gain entrance to the premises, they sought the assistance of the Nigerian Police Force at Elemoro, where criminal allegations were made against her.

Maryann added that she was invited by the Divisional police Officer,DPO and on September 23, 2021, she honoured the invitation and was interviewed by the DPO. 

But since there was no evidence to substantiate their allegations against her, the DPO had no choice than to let her go.

Since then, Maryann said she had been receiving several threats and disturbing phone calls from Anthony Chukwueke, Martha Etemu and their agents. 

She revealed that Anthony Chukwueke sent a letter to her on September 26, 2021, purporting  to suspend her indefinitely. He was alleged to have approached the police at the Criminal Investigation Department at Yaba, to harass and threaten her.

Consequently, the applicant, while claiming the sum of N80million as exemplary and aggravated damages, jointly and severally against the respondents, urged the court to restrain the police from inviting, arresting, detaining or harassing her over a purely civil or commercial transaction between her and the two respondents, Anthony Chukwueke and Martha Etemu.

The applicant also urged the court to restrain the two respondents from interfering with the property belonging to her. She asked for the sum of N5million as the cost of her legal action.

In a counter-affidavit, sworn to by herself and on behalf of Germaine Auto Centre and Anthony Chukwueke, Martha Etemu denied almost all the averments of the applicant. She averred that Maryann Chukwueke does not hold shares in Germaine Auto Centre in her personal capacity, but only does collectively and jointly, by virtue of her membership of the Nwawuba-Chukwueke family. 

Etemu explained that the said Nwawuba-Chukwueke family is a major shareholder in the company and the allocation of shares has been put off until Germaine Auto Centre satisfied its indebtedness in full and reverts backs in all entirety to the Nwawuba-Chukwueke family. 

She stated further that Germaine Auto Centre was founded in 1998 by certain Chief Jerry  Chukwueke, the elder brother to both the applicant, Anthony Chukwueke and Martha Etemu. The Applicant was an Executive Director and staff (VP Sales) with Germaine Auto Centre, until her recent suspension for the reason of her invasion of one of the company’s facilities, which is the Admiralty Motors Limited, a property which is located at Shapata, Lagos.

Etemu stated that Anthony Chukwueke served the Nigerian government meritoriously, for many years in various capacities including but not limited to the Department of Petroleum Resources. Further at the time of the applicant’s exit from Germaine Auto Centre in 2002, Anthony Chukwueke was a manager at Shell Petroleum Development Company. He had no direct involvement in the management or day-to-day running of the Germaine Auto Centre, which was at that time, chaired and managed by Chief Jerry Chukwueke.

According to Etemu, Admiralty Motors Limited is not solely owned by the applicant (Maryann Chukwueke), but is owned by the members of Nwawuba-Chukwueke collectively and jointly.

Following the applicant’s exit from Germaine Auto Centre in 2002, the Nwawuba-Chukwueke family members incorporated Admiralty Motors Limited with the aim of providing alternative employment for family members, who, for some reasons, could not remain in the Germaine Auto Centre.

The said incorporation was said to have been backed by and funded by Anthony Chukwueke. Etemu claimed that the applicant only assumed the position of directors and that, in no way, made her the sole owner of Admiralty Motors Limited. 

Consequently, the respondents stated that their interests shall be prejudiced if the application of the applicant is granted.

Meanwhile, based on an application filed and argued by a Lagos lawyer, O.I. Ogunseitan on behalf of Maryann Chukwueke, the presiding judge, Chukwujekwu Aneke issued an order for the maintenance of the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.