BREAKING: FEMI FALANA; WE ARE NOT IN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER, CONDEMNED MIDNIGHT DEMOLITION IN LAGOS, ABUJA .

BREAKING: FEMI FALANA; WE ARE NOT IN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER, CONDEMNED MIDNIGHT DEMOLITION IN LAGOS, ABUJA .

BREAKING: FEMI FALANA; WE ARE NOT IN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER, CONDEMNED MIDNIGHT DEMOLITION IN LAGOS, ABUJA .

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN ), Femi Falana , has condemned the ongoing demolition of buildings in Abuja and Lagos , describing the actions asunconstitutional, illegal,and a blatantviolation of citizens’ rights to property.

Speaking on Arise TV’s The Morning Show , Falana criticized both the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration and the Lagos State Government for what he termed “executive lawlessness” in the demolition exercises that have displaced thousands of families.

“Under our constitutional arrangement, no governor or minister has the power to wake up one morning and order that someone’s house be demolished. You must follow due process. The law requires that statutory notices be issued, complaints heard, and the proper tribunal or court must decide before any demolition can occur,” Falana said.

He cited Section 43 of the Nigerian Constitution , which guarantees every citizen the right to own property anywhere in the country, and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights , which reinforces the same principle

“The provisions of Chapter Four of the Constitution are sacrosanct. They cannot be breached under any guise — not even by ministers or governors claiming to restore order,” he stressed.

Falana specifically faulted the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike , for bypassing the Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal , the legally empowered body for handling property disputes and planning violations. He also condemned the midnight demolition of Oworonshoki community in Lagos, which allegedly defied a valid court order.

“In the Lagos case, our law firm obtained a restraining order from the High Court. The order was duly served on the government, yet, in the dead of night, bulldozers rolled into Oworonshoki. That was a clear contempt of court,” he noted

The senior advocate vowed that affected residents would seek legal redress, pointing out that previous demolition victims had won substantial compensation in court.

“In Abuja, the court recently awarded ₦200 million against the FCT for unlawful demolition. In Lagos, ₦3.5 billion was awarded for the Makoko demolitions. The victims will get justice again,” he affirmed

Falana lamented that some political leaders have becomemore reckless in democracy than military rulers ever were.

“Even under the military, the courts insisted on due process. What we are seeing now is worse. You cannot demolish people’s homes while they are asleep, tear-gas their houses, and claim to be enforcing the law. We are not in Gaza,” he declared.