STEPHEN TERI V. GAUNO AUGUSTINE

JAMES GAMBO ABUNDAGA, J.C.A. (Delivering the Lead Ruling): This is an appeal against the Judgment of High Court of Borno State in Suit No. BOHC/MG/CV/48/2017, delivered on 23/04/2019 by Hon. Justice B. Karumi.

In brief, the facts of the case is that the Appellant’s husband and the Respondent were both police officers who served at the Borno State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Maiduguri. The case of the Respondent who was the claimant at the lower Court is that in 1981, himself and the Appellant’s husband were occupants of House No. B121 of Ibrahim Taiwo Housing Estate and were in quiet possession with their families for over 38 years. That the payment of rent was then done by the Police authorities until such payment was stopped by the then Inspector General of Police, Estem Eyame. That upon the aforesaid stoppage, the two of them sought the intervention of one Haruna (deceased) and one Mairo Ali (a former Asst. Commissioner of Police) to allow them to continue to occupy the pr…