Obi Alleges Illegal Demolition of Brother’s Ikeja Property Without Court Order

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused unnamed individuals of unlawfully demolishing a property belonging to his younger brother in Lagos without a valid court order.

In a post shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, Obi claimed the property owned by his brother’s company and standing for over 15 years was demolished by unidentified individuals acting on what he described as a “vague court judgment.”

“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 wrote.

“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.”

Obi said he immediately flew into Lagos from Abuja to witness the incident firsthand. Upon arrival, he said he was also denied access to the premises, and was told the demolition was based on a court order.

“However,” he noted, “the supposed judgment was addressed to unnamed squatters. It did not mention my brother, the property, or contain any demolition directive.”

He questioned the legality of the process, asking:

“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.”

Obi described the event as a glaring example of “coordinated lawlessness” and lamented the increasing impunity faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“I stood there from 10 am to 2 pm, waiting to get a call from whoever ordered the demolition. Nobody came. The contractor didn’t even 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,” he said.

Obi connected the incident to wider issues of governance and investor confidence, recounting a recent conversation with a foreign investor who dismissed Nigeria as “too lawless” for safe investment.

“This is not about me or my brother — it’s about what ordinary Nigerians go through every day. If this can happen to someone with a registered company and legitimate ownership, what hope does the average citizen have?” he asked.

He reaffirmed his vision for a “New Nigeria” where the rule of law is upheld and the rights of citizens are protected.

As of the time of this report, no government agency has claimed responsibility for the demolition, and no official explanation has been provided.