The Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, on Wednesday said the state always follows legal procedures before taking down any building or structure.
He stated this while responding to claims made by Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, regarding the demolition of a property said to belong to his younger brother in Ikeja, Lagos.
“We follow the law in Lagos State. No building can be removed without due process,” Omotoso said in a phone conversation with The PUNCH. He also noted he would confirm more details with relevant officials and respond again, but as of the time of the report, he had not provided any updates.
Obi had earlier taken to his official X account (formerly Twitter) late Tuesday, where he raised concerns about the demolition of his brother’s company property. He said the building had existed for more than 15 years and was suddenly brought down by people who did not provide a legal reason or demolition notice.
“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.
According to him, his brother had just arrived from Port Harcourt and was stopped from entering the property by security guards. Obi also claimed that those involved in the demolition acted on a vague court order that did not mention his brother, the building, or contain any direct instruction for demolition.
He described the incident as an example of “coordinated lawlessness,” and said he waited for hours at the site, hoping someone would give a proper explanation. He noted that no official appeared, and even the contractor admitted he did not know who had ordered the action.
Two men later showed up and suggested they all go to a police station, but Obi said they could not provide any demolition order or valid documents. He said the situation clearly reflected impunity and lawlessness in the country.
Meanwhile, when asked about the matter, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA) denied involvement. Adu Ademuyiwa, LABSCA’s spokesperson, said simply, “We are not the one who demolished the house; it is not from us.”
Similarly, Abimbola Edmin-Umeh, spokesperson for the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), said she had no information on the incident.
She explained that several government bodies in Lagos have the power to enforce demolitions, depending on what kind of law or building rule was broken.
“I don’t know. I didn’t follow them on enforcement, but we don’t demolish. So I cannot say. Those people who go on monitoring are not yet around. And if the person (Obi) who said it, can show us the paper – maybe contravention notices – to show us which agency it is, then maybe I’ll be able to look into it,” she said.
