Amid Obi’s Allegations, LASG Insists All Demolitions Follows Due Process

By Saheed Afolabi

The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso said the state government followed the established legal procedures before the demolition of any structure.

Omotoso emphasized that the state operates strictly within the confines of the law, and no building is removed without due process.

In a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, Peter Obi alleged that a property owned by his brother’s company was demolished without any legal basis. He noted that the building had been in place for over 15 years before being torn down.

Obi claimed the demolition was carried out by unknown individuals who were supposedly acting on a vague court judgment that did not specifically name his brother, the property, or contain a demolition order.

Obi recounted receiving a frantic call from his youngest brother, who told him that a group of people had invaded his company property in Ikeja and were tearing down the building. His brother, who had just arrived from Port Harcourt, was denied entry by security personnel who informed him of the demolition.

Obi described the situation as coordinated lawlessness while expressing concern about what he saw as a decline into impunity in Nigeria. He said he waited for several hours at the site, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hoping to hear from whoever ordered the demolition, but no one contacted him. He noted that even the contractor on site did not know who had sent him. Later, two men arrived and suggested they go to a police station, but they could not produce a demolition order when asked.