Gov. Wike demolishes two Hotels: SERAP, Dr Dipo, others react

Governor Nyesom Wike accompanied by armed security personnel, supervised the demolition of Prodest Hotel and another. The Governor said the demolition exercise was carried out because the Hotels flouted the state orders on Covid-19. There are information that similar action will be carried out on other hotels within the state in the coming days.

However, some Nigerians and human rights organization have been reacting to the development describing it as unnecessary, illegal and undemocratic.

Social-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in a statement made available on their official Twitter handle said:
“We condemn the reported demolition of Prodest Hotel by Gov Wike, Rivers State.

Using COVID-19 to perpetrate human rights violations is executive rascality & Mr Wike must stop this now.

We’re taking legal action to hold him & his govt. to account for illegal actions.

The demolition of Prodest Hotel is forced evictions and in violation of article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party”.

Also, a senior lecturer, Dr Dipo Awojide reacts to the development via his official Twitter handle by saying: “Wike was showing necessary action and ensuring security agencies do their job well. He was conmended for that by many & rightly so. But going on to demolish an hotel is definitely way out of order. That sort of action is really condemnable. A fine should have been appropriate”.

Barrister Abdul Mahmud popularly called the Great Oracle equally said:
I don’t get it. Where does Gov Wike derive his powers to demolish hotels for lockdown violation? His is incipient madness. Nothing in S.5 (2) CFRN 1999 & S.8 Quarantine Act gives him such powers to assault citizens right under S.44 CFRN 1999. Nothing”.

Big Brother Naija contestant, Leo Dasilva responding to the development said “I hope the energy Governor Wike is using to enforce the lock down, he is also using it to increase testing and isolation centre capacity in Rivers state. Fighting this virus is not about being performative but being readily effective”.