Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over what he described as “coordinated lawlessness and impunity” in Nigeria after his younger brother’s company property was allegedly demolished without due process in Ikeja, Lagos.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, made the claims on Tuesday evening in a post shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle. He said the property, which has belonged to his family for over a decade, was pulled down by unknown agents who failed to present a valid court order or demolition permit.
“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,” Obi wrote.
According to him, his brother, who had just returned from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was denied access to the premises by security personnel who told him that the demolition had begun over the weekend.
Obi said he immediately flew to Lagos upon hearing the news and went straight to the scene, where he was also blocked by security officials from accessing the property. Despite his efforts to engage them, he said no credible documentation was provided to justify the demolition.
“They told me they had a court judgment, and I immediately requested it. You would not believe that the court judgment they claim was issued against an unknown person and squatters,” he said.
He added that upon further inquiry about a demolition permit or order, “there was none.”
Obi condemned the action as unlawful, questioning the legitimacy of any court ruling issued without proper identification of the defendant or prior notification.
“I asked to know who ordered the demolition, but the excavator operators claimed they were only contracted and didn’t know who sent them. I told them to give whoever sent them my number so I could speak to the person,” he said.
“I stood there from 10am to 2pm, waiting for a call. Nobody called. The contractor said he didn’t know who sent him. Two men later came and said we should go to a police station. I asked if they had a demolition order. They had nothing.”
Obi linked the incident to a wider culture of abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law in the country, noting that the trends were driving away both local and foreign investors.
He said a recent conversation with a businessman who operates across West Africa served as a painful reminder of Nigeria’s deteriorating image.
“I had a meeting over the weekend when someone told me how he has investments in Ghana, Senegal, and the Benin Republic but won’t touch Nigeria despite his market being here,” Obi recounted.
“I asked him why. His answer was piercing: ‘Nigeria is a lawless country. Until we have laws that protect people, nobody will invest in Nigeria.’”
Obi expressed deep concern over what he called the abuse of citizens’ rights and the erosion of democratic values in the country.
“I am just shocked. How did Nigeria get to this level of lawlessness? What kind of country are we trying to build when the rights of citizens, their lives, their properties, and their voices are trampled upon daily?”
The Lagos State government was yet to issue a response to Obi’s claims as at the time of filing this report on Wednesday.
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