Obi: My brother’s property demolished in Lagos without court order

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has alleged that a property belonging to his younger brother was demolished in the Ikeja area of Lagos State without a court order.

Obi made this known via a post on his X account on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

The former governor of Anambra State disclosed that the property owned by his brother’s company had stood for over 15 years before it was demolished.

He noted that the property was demolished by unidentified persons acting on a vague court judgement that did not mention his brother, the property, or contain any demolition order.

Obi, who described the demolition as a lawless act, said: “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.

“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.

“I rushed to Lagos from Abuja after the call this morning and headed straight to the property. On arrival, I was met by security people who tried to bar me from entering the property.

“I humbly pleaded with them that the property belonged to my brother’s company, and from the records, the company had owned the property for over a decade. 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. I went further to ask about a demolition order or permit, and there was none.

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“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.

“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.

“I just started reminiscing about how just over the weekend, I had a meeting 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. 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.’

“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?”

Obi, however, reiterated his commitment to “a better 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.”

The Star