Insecurity, escort withdrawal stall real estate delivery

Real estate developers have said the Federal Government’s withdrawal of police escorts from private citizens has left many of them vulnerable to kidnappers, disrupted project delivery and worsened insecurity across the housing sector.

The developers, under the aegis of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, said some of their members can no longer safely access project sites, resulting in delays in housing delivery and increased operating costs.

Speaking on the development, the National President of REDAN, Oba Akintoye Adeoye, said the withdrawal of police protection had significantly affected developers who relied on security escorts to access remote project locations.

“There are some cases where some developers cannot even go to their sites. During this period, the government withdrew police security from Nigerians.

“So, some of the developers that rely on police protection had their police protection removed from there. And in view of that, some could not even go to their site now. And it’s affecting delivery. So, they cannot even deliver on their promise to their clients on the deadline they have agreed on,” he said.

Adeoye added that the worsening security situation had forced some residents to abandon completed estates.

“And there are some estates that have been delivered; their people are moving out because of the insecurity. If you look at Ogun State, between Abeokuta and Mowe, there are estates within that corridor where people have moved out of the estate because of insecurity.

“I know of an estate that the kidnappers have actually kidnapped three times. On one of the occasions, one of the residents was killed. It’s affecting our business,” he said.

Adeoye further disclosed that several developers and their workers had been kidnapped while carrying out construction activities. “Some of our members were kidnapped at their site, including their staff. Not one, not two, not three, and ransom was paid. The security of lives and property is one of the primary duties of government,” he said.

He argued that government efforts should be measured by results rather than promises. “And there is no amount of trying that government will say that they are trying. That would be enough. It’s not about trying.

“It is about the result. You see, maybe they are putting so much effort. But we are not seeing the effort. What will justify the effort is the outcome, the result. And that’s exactly what we are asking for. That translates the effort into tangible results that we can be proud of.”

According to him, ransom payments made by developers eventually increase housing costs. “And when a developer is kidnapped with his staff and lots of money paid as ransom, definitely the money is going to come from the business. And it’s going to be transferred to the buyer of his products. One way or the other.

“Maybe not everything, but part of it. Probably by planning to waive, to grant a waiver, or to reduce the prices of his products. With those unplanned expenses, it’s going to be very, very difficult for him to consider anybody for price reduction. It’s going to affect product pricing.”

He added, “Our legal advisor was kidnapped. In Katsina State. So, we have so many of those cases.”

Also speaking to our correspondent, the Chairman of REDAN Lagos State Chapter, Tony Kolawole, said insecurity had discouraged diaspora investors from committing funds to Nigeria’s property market.

“Most of our clients are diaspora; when they see that there are problems in the country, people will not want to invest money because of the insecurity, because of the kidnapping and everything, it has really affected us,” he said.

Kolawole added, “Diasporan remittance into Nigeria has been greatly affected by insecurity in 2026. “So we are pleading with the government to look into it. Everything that they need to do to make sure that there is security in the country.”

He said the withdrawal of police escorts had also affected developers’ ability to scout and inspect potential project locations.

“They have withdrawn our escorts, so it has really affected our movement now. Before, we normally go into the bushes to look at the sites that we want to develop. So all those things have really affected us. So that is why some of us developers are using Civil Defence.”

The Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Ayodele Olamoju, said insecurity was affecting property managers, investors, tenants and agents.

“Insecurity also affects property managers and investors. Everybody is scared; nobody wants to do an inspection. We are still in the same circle of housing shortage that we are talking about. It’s also important to know that even prospective tenants and agents are scared to carry out an inspection at this level of time because of the insecurity,” he said.

Olamoju noted that kidnappers increasingly lure estate agents under the guise of inspecting properties. “We’ve seen instances where they abduct agents. We’ve seen the situation where they abduct agents. They say they want to inspect the property. Can you come and show me the property? Let’s meet at a particular location.

“And the agent gets there and finds out that the people who have come to inspect the property are kidnappers. It’s also affecting property agents. When all that is done, it slows down activities in the real estate market and, in turn, affects everybody.”

The concerns come amid the Federal Government’s security reforms aimed at returning police personnel to core policing duties. In 2025, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the withdrawal of Mobile Police officers attached to private individuals and VIPs, arguing that the deployment of elite tactical personnel to escort duties had weakened operational policing.

The policy was later reinforced following a directive by President Bola Tinubu, leading to the redeployment of thousands of police officers from VIP protection assignments to regular policing duties nationwide. While the government said the move was intended to improve public safety, developers say it has left them more vulnerable to attacks, particularly at construction sites located in isolated areas.