Sharada residents lament Kano govt’s demolition of properties despite court judgment

By Salisu Hamisu Ali —

Residents and landowners of corner shops in the Sharada area of Kano have accused the state government of unlawfully demolishing properties they claim were legally acquired and backed by a court judgment.

Under the aegis of the Sharada Kwanar Ganduje Landowners Committee, the affected individuals alleged that the Kano State Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Abduljabbar Garko, violated a subsisting court ruling by ordering the demolition of their structures.

DAILY NIGERIAN reports that Mr Garko, on Monday, led a team of ministry officials to the site, where the properties were pulled down during what authorities described as a development control exercise.

The affected plots are located within the layout of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, in Sharada, Gwale Local Government Area.

Addressing journalists at the site on Wednesday, Sani Maikusa, who spoke on behalf of the committee, explained that the plots were originally allocated as corner shops by the FHA to initial beneficiaries, who later sold them to other individuals, including members of the group.

Mr Maikusa said the land had been the subject of a protracted dispute between the landowners and the FHA, which was eventually resolved through legal action.

According to him, the matter was settled out of court and subsequently affirmed by a court judgment in favour of the landowners, validating their ownership.

“After the court judgment, we paid all necessary fees, including taxes and other charges required to formalise ownership and obtained the relevant certificates,” he said.

“But to our dismay, the state government proceeded with the demolition in broad daylight despite the presentation of all documents confirming our ownership to the ministry.”

He insisted that the landowners complied with all guidelines set by the FHA and possessed valid documentation to support their claims.

“We complied with all the guidelines set by the Federal Housing Authority regarding these plots, and we have documents to prove our ownership,” he added.

Mr Maikusa further alleged that the state Ministry of Lands had previously made several attempts to revoke the plots but failed due to the legal backing of the landowners’ documents.

He also claimed that prior engagements with state land authorities had acknowledged that the land falls under federal jurisdiction, not the state government.

“It is surprising that the Ministry of Lands is intervening in a matter that falls under the Federal Housing Authority,” he said.

The landowners have called on the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to urgently intervene and restore their ownership rights.

They further accused the commissioner of allegedly using the powers of his office to revoke land they said they had legitimately acquired after years of effort.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kano State Government had yet to officially respond to the allegations.