Two weeks have passed since the Lagos State Government denied any involvement in the demolition of a company owned by the younger brother of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi. Many are still waiting.

Obi, who was at the site of the demolished structures, wrote on social media how he received a distress call from his brother over the demolition of his company by some people.

The former Anambra State governor, who noted that his brother?s company had owned the property for over a decade, said a court judgment he was shown during his visit to the site was issued against ?an unknown person and squatters? but bore no demolition order or permit.

Indeed a careful perusal of the court document circulating on social media showed that the demolition followed a court-ordered possession with the defendant written as an ?unknown person?.

It indicated that judgment in the case was delivered by a Lagos High Court judge, A.M. Lawal on May 20, 2024, granting possession of the property to a private claimant.

The court said the defendant failed to appear before it despite proper service, and granted the claimant?s request, and also awarded N2 million in costs against the defendant.

The Lagos State government, in a statement by its Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, distanced itself from the embarrassing demolition.

Omotoso directed the Permanent Secretary in the Office of Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, to initiate a full investigation through LASBCA to establish what transpired.

But LASBCA?s spokesperson Adu Ademuyiwa, said the agency had no knowledge of the demolition, adding that the commissioner?s statement was the government?s official position.

Since then, nothing has been heard about the matter.

There is a strong suspicion that the entire court proceedings were conducted without the knowledge of Obi?s brother just to deny him the opportunity to defend himself, otherwise how can a registered company with a known name, known owner and address be referred to as unknown person?

How can such structure be demolished without the knowledge of the state government?

There are cases in Lagos State and Nigeria in general where some influential persons who saw lands in choice areas tried to grab them from the owners by any means possible, including colluding with corrupt judicial officers and security agents.

Logical questions to ask the judiciary are: How can an unknown person be sued? Can a court issue a judgment against a defendant who Is not aware of the case?

The state government should also tell the world the outcome of its investigation.

Can?t the state government ask the Chief Judge to investigate the issue?

Since there are strong indications that there is a cover-up, the state government should demonstrate transparency in handling the matter. (THISDAY)

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