- Aisha Yesufu speaks [Video]
Peter Obi, , the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) during the 2023 presidential election, has lamented the unlawful demolition of his brother’s property in Lagos.
Obi poured out his pain over the issue on Tuesday via a statement on his official X account, saying that lawlessness must stop for Nigeria to thrive.
“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 explained.
“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 also shared this in a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, June 25.
Obi said any society where lawlessness overrode the rule of law would not be a haven for investors adding that recent reports showing Nigeria’s human rights indicators had worsened merely highlighted severe shortfalls in government protection for civil liberties, personal security, and basic living standards.
Asserting that he was among the victims of human rights abuses in the country, Obi said:
“I know what I have been going through as a person in abuse of my human rights just because I contested a presidential election, which I have legitimate rights to do.
“So I imagine what small business owners, regular citizens, and vulnerable communities face every day,” he stated.
Reacting to how his brother’s property was being pulled down in the heart of Lagos without legal justification, he wondered, “If this level of lawlessness could happen to someone with a registered company and legitimate means, what hope would the ordinary Nigerian have?”
Narrating his brother’s ordeal, Obi said he got a call from him Tuesday morning that a group of people had invaded his property in Ikeja and were demolishing the building.
Obi said he rushed to Lagos from Abuja after the call on Tuesday morning and headed straight to the property and on his arrival, he was met by security people who tried to bar him from entering the property.
He stated that he humbly pleaded with them that the property belonged to his brother’s company, and from the records, the company had owned the property for over a decade but they told him they had a court judgement, which he immediately requested for.
“You would not believe that the court judgment they claim was issued against an unknown person, and squatters. I went further to ask about a demolition order or permit, and there was none,” Obi said.
“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 immediately asked the excavators for the person who had sent them, and they said they didn’t know anyone, but they were only informed to come and demolish the house. I immediately told them to tell whoever it is that I would like to speak with them, if they can call my number, which I shared with the excavators, so that I can speak with whomever gave them the order to demolish the property.”
The situation with Peter Obi’s brother highlights concerns about property rights and the rule of law. Do you think the authorities acted lawfully in demolishing the property, or was it an abuse of power?