Obi Condemns Lagos Demolitions, Says It Undermines Justice

Former Governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised the recent demolitions at Aspamda Market in Lagos, describing them as a disproportionate response that lacks compassion and undermines justice.

In a statement titled “Lagos Demolitions: Law, Justice, and Compassion,” Obi on Tuesday shared his concerns following a recent visit to the affected site alongside other leaders. He expressed dismay over what he termed a “punishment that far outweighs any alleged infraction,” urging government authorities to consider the human cost of their actions.

“Even if, for the sake of argument, some of the affected traders failed to obtain the proper approvals, which is unlikely, was demolition the only option?” Obi asked. “Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?”

Drawing from a personal experience in the UK, where legal processes were followed to evict squatters from his property, Obi stressed that such an approach contrasts sharply with the abrupt demolitions in Lagos. “It would have been unthinkable for the state to simply wake up one morning and demolish people’s houses especially when such houses were neither used for crime nor taken for any overriding public purpose,” he said.

Obi emphasised that while the law is essential for maintaining order, it must not become a tool for inflicting “undeserved pain” without consideration for human welfare. “A government should not pride itself on being legally correct if, in the process, it becomes morally wrong,” he warned.

The Labour Party stalwart concluded with a moral appeal: “Power must always be exercised with empathy for it is in how we treat the vulnerable that the true character of leadership is revealed.”

His full statement reads;

A week ago, a team of concerned leaders visited the demolished Aspamda Market in Lagos. Since then, I have carefully followed the reactions following the demolitions, our visit, and I feel that other extraneous variables are affecting our compassion for each other as Nigerians. The situation calls for deep reflection on the relationship between law, justice, and compassion in governance.

I recall an incident in the nineties, when I bought a house in the UK at 66 Donnington Road, NW10. While the building was still being refurbished, some squatters moved in. When I consulted my lawyer, he advised that I should write to them formally and approach the court. It would have been unthinkable for the state ty wake up one morning and demolish people’s houses – especially when such houses were neither used for crime nor taken for any overriding public purpose.

Those seeking to justify the current demolitions in Aspamda Market Lagos, and similar situations across Nigeria must be reminded that the law is not an end in itself; it is a means to ensure order, peace, and the protection of human dignity. When the law becomes an instrument to inflict undeserved pain – enforced without compassion or regard for human welfare – it ceases to serve justice.

Even if, for the sake of argument, some of the affected traders failed to obtain the proper approvals, which is unlikely, was demolition the only option? If opportunities for regularisation truly existed, as some have argued, why were they not pursued? Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?

It is like punishing a man who stole a bicycle with death instead of imprisonment – a sentence grossly disproportionate to the offence. That is what these demolitions represent: a punishment that far outweighs any alleged infraction.

My appeal is simple: governance must always balance law with compassion. A government should not pride itself on being legally correct if, in the process, it becomes morally wrong. Justice, to be just, must be tempered with mercy.

These demolitions are a test of our collective humanity, justice, and compassion. Power must always be exercised with empathy – for it is in how we treat the vulnerable that the true character of leadership is revealed.

A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO