In Edo State, even illegal buildings don’t just fall—they come back with a ₦914 million invoice. Yes, you read that right. Welcome to the curious case of Tony Kabaka’s hotel, the demolition that defied a court order, and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s generous use of taxpayer funds to say “sorry.”

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🕺 Meet Tony Kabaka: Hotelier, Politico, Professional Survivor

Tony Adun, better known as Tony Kabaka, isn’t your average hotel owner. He’s a well-known political figure in Edo State and a man who, like a well-rooted mango tree, has weathered many political seasons. His hotel, T. Latifah Hotel and Suites, sat proudly in Ugbor, Benin City—right next to a primary school.

In 2020, the Obaseki administration declared that the hotel was built on government land—in fact, on land belonging to the nearby school. Edo officials decided to make an example of him. Bulldozers rolled in, and T. Latifah Hotel became T. Latifah Rubble.

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⚖️ But There Was a Little Problem… A Court Order!

Before the demolition, a Benin High Court (Justice Daniel Okungbowa) had issued a restraining order stopping the state from touching the property.
Obaseki’s people apparently saw the injunction, folded it neatly, and used it as a coaster for their demolition tea break. The hotel was flattened anyway.

Kabaka, never one to miss a legal opening, sued. Years later, a court ruled that the Edo State Government had acted unlawfully and must pay compensation.

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💸 Enter Monday Okpebholo: “Government Is Continuous”

Fast forward to 2025. Obaseki is out, and Governor Monday Okpebholo is in. Instead of fighting the judgment, his government approved the payment of a cool ₦914 million to Kabaka.

Their reasoning? “Government is continuous.”

Translated loosely:

“We may not have demolished it, but hey, we’ll still foot the bill.”

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🧮 The Public Reaction: Bewilderment, Laughter, and Outrage

Edo people reacted the way Nigerians usually do to such things: some were outraged, some laughed, and some just shrugged—after all, it’s not their first political circus.

Critics said it was absurd to pay that much for a hotel allegedly built illegally. Supporters countered that a court order was violated, and the rule of law must prevail.

Either way, the ₦914 million is gone—like the hotel, only this time into someone’s bank account.

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🏛️ Why This Is a Textbook Case of “State Theft”

Let’s call this what it is: a reverse robbery.

• First, the state violated the law by ignoring a court order.
• Second, taxpayers are now paying nearly a billion naira for that unlawful act.
• Third, the beneficiary is a politically connected insider who can actually enforce a judgment—unlike the countless ordinary citizens whose buildings vanish without a naira of compensation.

It’s not just bad governance. It’s elite extraction wrapped in legal paperwork.

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🔍 The Bigger Picture: Edo Is Not Alone

This isn’t unique to Edo. Across Nigeria, state governments routinely demolish properties illegally, lose in court years later, and then quietly pay compensation—often to the well-connected. Ordinary citizens, meanwhile, are left to “pray about it.”

The Kabaka case is simply the most glamorous example: a hotel, a political heavyweight, a dramatic demolition, and a billionaire payout.

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📝 Lessons (If Anyone Is Listening)

1. Respect Court Orders — They’re not decorations.
2. Transparency Matters — Publish the valuation reports. ₦914 million is not puff-puff money.
3. Equal Justice — Compensation shouldn’t be for the powerful alone.
4. Institutional Memory — Successor governments shouldn’t be fiscal janitors cleaning up illegal messes.

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🎭 Final Thoughts

The Edo State Government didn’t just demolish a hotel; it demolished trust in institutions—and then wrote a ₦914 million cheque to patch the wall.

Tony Kabaka walks away richer, Okpebholo walks away legally compliant, and Edo taxpayers walk away… well, poorer.

And that, dear reader, is how state theft sometimes wears a tie and carries a court judgment.