Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has alleged that his younger brother’s property in Ikeja, Lagos, was unlawfully demolished.
In a post via X, the former Anambra governor claimed that the 15-year-old property was torn down by unidentified individuals without a valid court order specifically naming his brother or the property, and without any explicit demolition directive.
He noted that the supposed court order was vaguely addressed to “unnamed squatters” and lacked proper authorization for demolition.
Obi described the demolition as “coordinated lawlessness,” expressing worry about its negative impact on business and investment in Nigeria, suggesting a prevailing sense of impunity.
“This morning, my youngest brother called me frantically, informing me that a group of people had invaded his company property in Ikeja, Lagos, and were demolishing the building,” the post read in part.
“He had just come in from Port Harcourt and was denied entry to the property by security men who told him the building was being pulled down. They even informed him that this demolition had started over the weekend. As a peace-loving Nigerian, he quickly started processing to go to court immediately, not knowing what must have resulted in this, as they moved fast to destroy his home without any restraint.”
He demanded to know who had ordered the demolition, but the officials on site where unaware of the source.
“How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgment in such a farce of a case? No one was served. No name was written. Yet they showed up with excavators and began destroying a structure that had stood for over 15 years.
“I stood there from 10am to 2pm, waiting to get a call at least and nobody called or came. The contractor even said he didn’t know who sent him. Two men later came and said they would like us to go to a police station. I asked if they even had a demolition order but they had nothing. The whole situation screamed of coordinated lawlessness and impunity. Our country has become lawless.”
He reiterated his commitment to live in Nigeria “where lawlessness will be a thing of the past, protection of life and property, respect for human rights, care for the less privileged, and basic education for all children.”
