No Governor or Minister has power to demolish houses without court order – Falana

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has condemned the wave of house demolitions in Abuja and Lagos, saying that no governor or minister has the power to demolish any house without a court order.

Falana stated this on Friday while responding to questions in an interview on Arise Television monitored by DAILY POST, describing them as a gross violation of the rule of law and an affront to the judiciary.

According to him, the demolitions, which reportedly took place at midnight despite existing court orders, were unconstitutional and illegal.

“No governor or minister has the power to demolish a house in Nigeria without a valid court order.

“Under our constitutional arrangement, you must go to court to prove that a building violates the law before demolition can be authorised,” he said.

He pointed out that Lagos and Abuja have Urban and Regional Planning laws that clearly outline the procedure for demolition, including issuing statutory notices and allowing affected persons to appeal.