…It’s targeted against Igbo — IWA
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly condemned the ongoing demolition of private properties by government agencies in different parts of Nigeria, especially Lagos State.
Obi said the exercise was even more painful given that most of the demolitions were carried out without prior notice to the affected owners.
His reaction comes amid the recent demolition of shops and businesses belonging to traders in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has raised the alarm over what it described as the targeted destruction of Igbo-owned businesses in Lagos, calling for an immediate halt to what it termed “economic hostilities.”
Taking to his X handle, Obi wrote:
“I would like to reiterate my strong condemnation of the willful destruction of people’s property and goods by governments at any level without notice.
The recent demolition of citizens’ structures and the destruction of their goods and merchandise remain condemnable.
An administration whose policies and style have sent several million Nigerians into poverty in just 29 months should show compassion for its citizens.
This is happening across the country at a time when the government is supposed to be lifting citizens out of poverty. Instead, it is plunging them deeper into hardship.
These demolitions destroy livelihoods, undermine businesses, and threaten the economic security of hardworking citizens.
Many of these shops contained goods worth billions of naira, representing years of investment and toil. What legal authority justifies the destruction of private property—clearly not used for criminal purposes—without prior notice or due process?
We must ask: are these actions genuinely in the public interest, or are they arbitrary and disproportionate exercises of power? Citizens deserve protection for their investments, livelihoods, and dignity.
The government must ensure that urban development and enforcement respect the rule of law and the rights of the people.
Meanwhile, these acts of demolition send a chilling message to entrepreneurs across the nation and beyond: that their hard work and sacrifices can be wiped away overnight.
If we fail to stand against such injustices, we risk undermining the very foundations of economic growth and social stability. Every citizen has the right to build a life through honest work, and that right must never be trampled.”
Similarly, the Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has strongly condemned what it called the “senseless and targeted demolition” of shops and properties owned by Igbo traders and investors in Lagos.
IWA National President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, in a viral video, urged both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government to “stop the madness” and compensate victims of the demolitions.
The group described the incessant destruction of Igbo properties in Lagos as a continuation of the civil war against Ndigbo.
