Calabar investor appeals to Tinubu over demolition of property, demands justice

A New York-based Nigerian property owner has appealed to President Bola Tinubu for intervention after the state task force demolished his serviced-apartment development in Calabar, Cross River State.

In his appeal, he recalled Tinubu’s 2023 address to investors in New York, where the President assured them they could invest in Nigeria “without fear”.

Questioning whether the assurance still stands, he recounted how the task force demolished his property on August 14, 2026, despite having a temporary building permit and submitting his drawings to the town planning department.

According to him, the officials claimed they had an “order from above” and did not need a court order to carry out the demolition. He also stated that the town planning department denied knowledge of the exercise.

He further claimed that armed men returned days later, threatened workers and warned them against continuing construction. The threats, he added, had prevented him from returning to the site, despite subsequently obtaining permanent approval for the development.

Expressing concern over his financial losses, the property owner questioned the reason for the demolition and appealed to the President and the public for intervention.

In his appeal, he wrote:

“Building is expensive. Materials, labour and loans do not disappear because a building has been demolished. Calabar has unused land, so the public deserves to know why this property was pulled down. Was this lawful enforcement, or an attempt to take what someone had already built?

We appeal to the President and the public to demand the records: the approvals, the notices, the demolition order, and a clear account of what happened afterward. No investor is above the law. No agency should be above explaining its power.

Let the state answer. Let the court decide. ‘Invest without fear’ must mean something in Calabar, too.”