Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over what he described as the unlawful demolition of his younger brother’s company property located in Ikeja, Lagos. In a video message and statement shared on his social media platforms on Tuesday, Obi lamented the deteriorating state of the rule of law in Nigeria.
He stated that a country where lawlessness supersedes legal processes cannot attract or sustain investment. Drawing attention to recent reports on human rights in Nigeria, Obi said the worsening indicators reflect the government’s failure to safeguard civil liberties, personal safety, and basic standards of living.
According to Obi, his brother had called him early in the morning in a state of distress, reporting that a group of individuals had invaded the company premises and started demolishing the building. Upon arriving from Port Harcourt, his brother was reportedly denied entry by security personnel who claimed demolition activities had been ongoing since the weekend.
Obi explained that his brother chose to seek legal redress, initiating the appropriate court proceedings. After receiving the call, Obi said he flew to Lagos and headed straight to the site. There, he was also stopped by security officers, but he insisted on his right to access the property, which he noted had been in his brother’s possession for more than ten years.
He recounted asking the officers for documentation authorizing the demolition. “They claimed to have a court judgment,” Obi said, “but the judgment was against an unknown person and squatters. There was no demolition order or permit available.”
Obi raised concerns about the legality of a court judgment issued without proper identification of defendants or service of notice. When he asked who had authorized the demolition, the operators of the excavators said they had only been contracted for the job and did not know who issued the directive.
“I asked them to give my number to whoever sent them so I could speak to the person,” Obi said. “I waited from 10am until 2pm for a call that never came. The contractor still claimed ignorance. Eventually, two men arrived and suggested we go to a police station. When I asked again for a demolition order, they still had none.”
He described the episode as a manifestation of “coordinated lawlessness and impunity.”
Obi went on to recount a recent meeting with a businessman who operates in Ghana, Senegal, and Benin Republic but has chosen not to invest in Nigeria despite having a significant market presence in the country. When Obi inquired why, the businessman replied, “Nigeria is a lawless country. Until we have laws that protect people, nobody will invest in Nigeria.”
Reflecting on this, Obi said he was left in shock. “How did Nigeria descend to this level of lawlessness? What kind of country are we building where the rights, lives, properties, and voices of citizens are ignored and trampled upon every day?” he asked.
