The Lagos State Government has insisted that it followed due process in the recent demolition of structures in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, made the clarification on Wednesday stating that no building can be removed without due process.
The clarification followed claims by ex Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that his brother’s property was illegally demolished by the state government.
According to a report by The PUNCH, the commissioner, when quizzed on the claims made by the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on the demolition of his brother’s property in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
“We follow the law in Lagos State. No building can be removed without due process,” Omotoso told The Punch.
He asked to find out from his colleagues about the demolition and get back to our correspondent.
“Let me ask my colleagues and get back to you,” he said.
Through a late Tuesday post on X, Obi claimed his younger brother’s Lagos property was illegally demolished.
The 15-year-old building, owned by his brother’s company, was reportedly torn down by unidentified operatives citing an unclear court judgment that neither named the property nor included a demolition order.”
He 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.”
Obi described the entire episode as “coordinated lawlessness,” lamenting what he saw as Nigeria’s descent into a state of impunity.
“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. The whole situation screamed of coordinated lawlessness and impunity. Our country has become lawless,” he said.
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