Peter Obi yesterday condemned the “illegal” demolition of property belonging to his younger brother’s company in Lagos. The former Anambra State governor said the building was brought down without a court order.
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential poll decried the “coordinated lawlessness” in the country, warning that such disregard for the rule of law threatens citizen rights and investor confidence.
He said his brother was barred by security officials from accessing his company’s property, only to discover that it was already being demolished. “The demolition team could not say who sent them, nor did they have any authorising papers for their actions,” Obi said.
He said the court judgement the demolishing team claimed to have was issued against an unknown person, and squatters. The politician said: “I asked about a demolition order or permit, and there was none.
“How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgement 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.
“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.”
According to him, recent reports show that Nigeria’s human rights indicators have worsened, and said this highlights severe shortfalls in government protection for civil liberties, personal security, and basic living standards.
Obi said his human rights have been severally violated “just because I contested a presidential election which I have legitimate rights to do”.
He added: “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?
“I remain committed 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 underprivileged, and basic education for all children.”
