"Does it truly serve justice to destroy millions of Naira worth of investments?"- Peter Obi condemns demolition of buildings in Aspamda market

Peter Obi Condemns Demolition of Buildings in Aspamda Market

In a powerful and emotionally charged statement, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has publicly condemned the recent demolition of buildings at the Aspamda Market, located within the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.

The demolitions, which took place on September 25, 2025, affected over 19 plazas and reportedly destroyed goods and investments worth billions of naira. Obi’s reaction, delivered through social media and reinforced during a site visit, has sparked national debate over the balance between legal enforcement and moral justice.

Obi described the demolition as a punishment far exceeding any alleged infraction, arguing that the exercise was not merely about removing structures but about dismantling livelihoods. He emphasized that governance must be rooted in compassion, warning that a government that prides itself on being legally correct while inflicting moral wrongs fails the true test of leadership. “Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?” he asked, challenging the rationale behind the state’s actions.

During his visit to the site, Obi was accompanied by Labour Party senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Victor Umeh. He commended the traders for their restraint in the face of immense loss and pledged to advocate for a parliamentary inquiry into the incident.

Drawing from personal experience abroad, Obi recounted how legal disputes over property were resolved through due process rather than arbitrary demolition. He used this anecdote to illustrate the importance of tempering law with empathy, stating that “justice, to be just, must be tempered with mercy”.

The Lagos State government, through its Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, defended the demolition as a constitutional exercise targeting illegal structures built without proper permits and encroaching on drainage channels.

Omotoso accused Obi of politicizing the issue and claimed that affected traders had been given ample time to regularize their documentation under a general amnesty program that was extended multiple times. He also noted that relocation options had been offered to the displaced traders.

Obi, however, remained firm in his stance, asserting that the demolitions represent a test of Nigeria’s collective humanity, justice, and compassion. He likened the act to sentencing a man to death for stealing a bicycle, an analogy meant to highlight the disproportionate nature of the punishment. “Power must always be exercised with empathy, for it is in how we treat the vulnerable that the true character of leadership is revealed,” he concluded.

The controversy surrounding the Aspamda Market demolition continues to unfold, with calls for accountability and more humane governance echoing across political and civil society circles.

As the debate intensifies, Obi’s intervention has reignited national discourse on the intersection of legality, morality, and the protection of livelihoods in Nigeria’s urban development policies.