Peter Obi says Nigeria’s worsening lawlessness threatens investor confidence after his brother’s company property in Lagos was demolished without court order
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]eter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party and ex-Governor of Anambra State, has decried Nigeria’s worsening lawlessness, warning that it poses a serious threat to investor confidence and the safety of citizens.
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Speaking on Monday following a shocking incident in Lagos, Obi said the violation of his brother’s rights and destruction of private property without lawful process is a reflection of the deep rot in Nigeria’s justice system and disregard for the rule of law.
“Any society where lawlessness overrides the rule of law is not destined to be a haven for investors,” Obi said.
“Recent reports showing that Nigeria’s human rights indicators have worsened merely highlight severe shortfalls in government protection for civil liberties, personal security, and basic living standards.”
He recounted a personal experience, saying, “I know what I have been going through as a person in abuse of my human rights just because I contested a presidential election, which I have every legitimate right to do. So I can only imagine what small business owners, ordinary citizens, and vulnerable communities face every day.”
Obi revealed that his youngest brother called him frantically in the early hours of Monday to report that unknown individuals had invaded and begun demolishing a company property in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Obi, his brother had just returned from Port Harcourt and was denied access to the premises by security men, who claimed demolition activities had already begun days earlier.
“As a peace-loving Nigerian, my brother immediately began making arrangements to approach the courts, unsure of the grounds upon which this destruction was being carried out,” Obi said.
If this level of lawlessness can happen to someone with a registered business, what hope does the ordinary Nigerian have?
He rushed to Lagos from Abuja and visited the site personally.
“When I arrived, I was barred by security personnel from entering the property. I pleaded with them and explained that the company had owned the building for over a decade. They claimed there was a court judgment, but when I asked to see it, it turned out to be against an unnamed person, merely labelled as ‘squatters’.”
Obi expressed disbelief over what he described as a judicial farce: “How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgment against no identifiable defendant, and with no demolition order presented?”
He said the excavator operators on site admitted they did not know who had engaged them and that no demolition permit was shown.
“I waited there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. hoping someone responsible would reach out. I gave my number to the workers and asked that whoever sent them should call me. No one did.”
Two men eventually arrived and proposed a visit to a police station, but still failed to produce any authorising document.
“The entire event was a coordinated act of impunity. Our country is becoming frighteningly lawless,” he lamented.
Reflecting on a conversation he had just days earlier with an investor, Obi added: “A man told me he does business in Ghana, Senegal, and Benin Republic, but refuses to invest in Nigeria even though his market is here. His reason was sharp and painful: ‘Nigeria is a lawless country. Until you have laws that protect people, nobody will invest in Nigeria.’”
He concluded with a passionate call for change:
“I am shocked. How did Nigeria descend to this level of lawlessness? What kind of country are we trying to build when the rights of citizens—their lives, their property, their voices—are trampled on daily?
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“I remain committed to building a better Nigeria—one where lawlessness will end, rights will be protected, and the poor and vulnerable will be treated with dignity. A new Nigeria is POssible.”
