Falana faults Govs’, Ministers’ power to demolish houses without court order
A senior advocate and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has queried the legal right of state governors or ministers to demolish individual or corporate buildings without court order.
This is as he condemned the spate of house demolitions in Abuja and Lagos on the order of state governor’s and the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Featuring on Arise Television programme on Friday, Falana said such action is a gross violation of the rule of law and an affront to the judiciary.
He said 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.
According to him, 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.
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