“What Kind of Country Is This?” – Peter Obi Laments Unlawful Demolition of Brother’s Property in Lagos State

By Emmanuel Kwada

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate and former Governor of Anambra State, has decried what he describes as rampant lawlessness in Nigeria following the unlawful demolition of his younger brother’s company property in Ikeja, Lagos State.

The incident, which occurred on June 24, 2025, has sparked outrage and raised questions about the state of human rights and property protection in the country, especially as it coincides with a wave of violence claiming over 200 lives nationwide in the past week.

Obi, in a viral video circulating on the social media narrated how his brother, who had just returned from Port Harcourt, discovered that his company’s property, owned for over 15 years, was being demolished without prior notice or legal documentation.

How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgment in such a farce of a case?

Security personnel at the site denied him access, claiming the demolition began over the weekend based on a court judgment. Obi rushed from Abuja to Lagos upon receiving the distressed call and was met with resistance from security operatives who attempted to bar him from entering the property.

Upon demanding legal justification, Obi was shown a court judgment purportedly issued against “unknown persons and squatters,” with no demolition order or permit presented. “How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgment in such a farce of a case?” Obi questioned.

“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.” He noted that neither the security personnel nor the contractors could identify who ordered the demolition, despite his waiting at the site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for clarification.

The demolition has drawn sharp criticism, with Obi and supporters alleging it was a politically motivated act targeting his family due to his opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

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

“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 lamented, linking the incident to broader human rights abuses he claims to have faced since contesting the 2023 presidential election.

He argued that such lawlessness deters investors, recounting a conversation with an investor who avoided Nigeria, stating, “Nigeria is a lawless country. Until we have laws that protect people, nobody will invest in Nigeria.”

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’s condemnation of the demolition aligns with his previous criticisms of property demolitions in Lagos and other states. In 2023, he called such actions “ill-timed” amid economic hardship, arguing they exacerbate poverty and destroy livelihoods.

The Lagos State Government has not issued an official statement on the demolition as of this report’s filing.