Court documents and a Certificate of Occupancy identify one Mrs. Deborah Oluwalogbon as the rightful owner of the property in Ikeja, Lagos, which Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, claimed belongs to his younger brother.

Obi condemned what he described as Nigeria’s descent into lawlessness under President Bola Tinubu, citing the alleged illegal demolition of the property as an example.

He said the worsening state of human rights in the country has left ordinary citizens, small businesses, and vulnerable groups increasingly exposed to systemic abuse and insecurity.

In a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, he expressed outrage over the incident, which he said reflects a broader pattern of impunity and disregard for the rule of law in the country.

“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,” the post read.

“He had just come in from Port Harcourt and was denied entry to the property by security men who told him the building was being pulled down. They even informed him that this demolition had started over the weekend.”

The former presidential candidate said his brother opted to pursue a legal resolution and began making efforts to seek redress through the courts.

Obi said he flew into Lagos immediately after receiving the call and went straight to the property.

On arrival, he said he was confronted by security personnel who barred him from accessing the demolished building, but he appealed to them, insisting that the property had been his brother’s for over a decade.

Documents Show Court Granted Ownership To Oluwalogbon

However, documents obtained by SaharaReporters showed a court judgment that granted ownership of the property located at No. 57, Oduduwa Crescent in the Ikeja GRA of Lagos to one Mrs Deborah Olorunlogbon.

This followed a suit with number ID/4378LM/2023 instituted by Olorunlogbon before the High Court of Lagos State.

A further check on the documents showed that while Olorunlogbon was listed as the claimant in the case, the defendant was listed as an “unknown person”.

The High Court of Lagos, Ikeja Division ruling delivered on May 24, 2024, reads, “The Claimant filed this suit on June 6, 2023 to claim possession of 57, Oduduwa Crescent, Ikeja on the ground that those in possession are squatting and are in possession without the consent or the contract of the Claimant.

“The originating processes and Hearing Notice were served on the Defendant by pasting at the gate of the premises by Toyin Awolesi, a Sheriff of this Court on October 6, 2023 and April 22, 2024 at about 11:05 and 10:00am respectively.

“Despite these services, the Defendant did not attend Court and did not file processes to deny the claim of the Claimant.

“The implication of this is that the Defendant is taken to have admitted the facts of the Claimant and is also taken to have conceded to the relief asked for by the Claimant.”

“Consequently, the request of the Claimant is granted. Possession of 57, Oduduwa Crescent is granted in favour of the Claimant. Cost summarily assessed as N2m is also granted in favour of the Claimant against the Defendant,” the ruling adds.

Additionally, a police report indicated that the land was initially allocated to Mrs Oluwalogbon by the federal government in 2003. A Certificate of Occupancy, signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was issued to her on February 17, 2025.

Oluwalogbon’s Lawyer Accuses Obi Of Politicising Dispute

Speaking to SaharaReporters, a lawyer on Mrs Oluwalogbon’s legal team, Mayomi Afekuha, faulted the X post by Obi.

He said, “In one breath, Mr. Obi claimed the property in question belongs to his family. In another, he said it belongs to his brother, whose identity remains conveniently hidden. At yet another point, he suggested the property is owned by a company where his brother works. So, which is it? The truth is becoming increasingly clear: Mr. Peter Obi has no real connection to this property.

“Rather, he appears to have been hired to use his influence, name, and social media reach to politicise and sensationalise a matter that is currently before a court of law. Nigeria is not a lawless nation. It is people like Peter Obi—who ought to know better—who encourage lawlessness by attempting to sway public opinion against lawful judicial processes.

“If Mr. Obi was genuinely interested in justice, he would have presented a balanced view of the situation instead of using social media as a courtroom to push one-sided narratives. He knows full well that the suit number of the case in which Mrs. Olorunlogbon secured judgment is boldly displayed on the property. The party he is fronting for has already joined issues in court.

“For the record, Mrs. Olorunlogbon possesses a valid judgment, Certificates of Occupancy, and other official documents confirming her ownership of the property. Until a court says otherwise, the property is hers to use as she sees fit. The disturbing pattern here is that Mr. Obi’s current online campaign is a continuation of earlier disobedience to court orders, orchestrated by his associates.

“The matter was duly reported to Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos. They were invited for questioning, a fact Mr. Obi himself has acknowledged—but they chose to ignore the police. Now, Mr. Obi has taken the dangerous route of self-help and media trial, which undermines the rule of law.

“Under the Land Use Act of 1978, Section 28, any revocation of land rights requires a clear public interest justification, accompanied by notice and compensation, with disputes adjudicated in court. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, Section 44, safeguards property rights against arbitrary deprivation, but this protection hinges on legal proof of ownership.

“For a suit against unknown persons, Nigerian High Court rules mandate presenting original titles and certified true copies (CTCs) from the land registry, along with multiple notifications—often repeated up to four times at quarterly intervals—to ensure all parties are aware.

“This process, taking six months to a year, gives ample opportunity for Obi or his relatives to counter claims with authenticated documents. Yet, Obi’s post provides no evidence of these legal steps or his brother’s ownership documents, casting doubt on his narrative.

“Instead of seeking a stay of execution—a remedy a court could grant within a week if satisfied with valid documents—Obi opted to appeal to public sympathy. This bypasses due process, as noted in earlier discussions, where the expectation was for him to engage the courts rather than a “court of public opinion.”

“The public has no basis to judge without hearing the other side, especially when Obi’s story lacks verifiable proof and ignores the legal notifications allegedly posted.

“If the party Mr. Obi represents truly believes it owns the property, let them bring forward their documents and make their case in court. That is how civil disputes are resolved—not through online grandstanding and emotional manipulation. Obi’s actions risk undermining Nigeria’s legal system, and this must be condemned.”

Next Foods Limited Challenges Court Order

However, Emeka Okpoko, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and lawyer representing Next Foods Limited, which is claiming ownership of the demolished property, said he became aware of the case on Friday, June 20, after some persons came to effect possession.

In 2021, UK authorities struck off Next International (UK) Limited — a company largely owned by Peter Obi — for failing to file its annual accounts.

Obi’s brother, Ndibe Obi, serves as the Chairman of Next International (Nigeria).

SaharaReporters was unable to verify the names of the directors of its subsidiary Next Foods Limited on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website, as the site was not functioning properly at the time of the check.

However, open-source platforms such as Ngcheck.ng list both Peter Obi and his brother Ndibe as directors of Next Foods Limited. Due to the CAC website’s issues, SaharaReporters could not independently confirm from official records whether Obi still has any links to the company.

Peter Obi, for his part, has consistently insisted that he is no longer involved in any business connected to Next.

“Just this last Friday (June 20), we were called upon that some people came here to take possession. We never knew that about the pendency of any suit at all. The suit was filed against persons unknown,” Platforms Africa quoted the lawyer as saying.

He said, “What we did was to quickly go to the registry to see the process filed, that is, which process they relied upon to come to this place. We got it, only to discover that they came by originating summons, and they are even claiming possession, not claiming ownership.

“We then made copies of all those processes and worked all through Friday. On Monday, we filed our application, which was yesterday (June 23) for joinder, that is, let us be joined in the case as parties. And we attached affidavits where we annexed copies of materials, documents showing that we truly owned the house.

“We attached the Deeds of Assignment, we attached the Certificate of Occupancy, and every document to show that we genuinely own the house. We also filed a separate application, seeking to set aside that order of the court because the order was obtained without the court knowing that other persons own the property, because they just sued an unknown person.

“I can assure you that if you go through the evidence of service, what they did, they would paste a court process, snap it, remove it and go back to the court to file evidence that they have effected service.

“We attacked all those things in our application seeking to set aside that judgment. We also filed an application setting aside further execution. We have an injunction pending the hearing of the suit. We also have a prayer where we are asking the court to convert the case to pleadings so that everybody will file their own side of the story. And the court will take a plenary session and hear us out.”