Unlawful demolition: Kano Govt to pay N3bn compensation

The Government of Kano State has agreed to pay the sum of N3 billion as compensation to the Incorporated Trustees of Masallacin Eid Shop Owners and Traders Association for the unlawful demolition of their property.

The agreement was reached through an application on terms of settlement dated December 12 and filed on December 13 by counsels for the parties before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

About 56 applicants, following the demolition of their shops on Governor Abba Yusuf’s order, had filed the suit marked FHC/KN/CS/208/2023 in the Kano division of the court.

Those sued by the applicants include Kano State Government, Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, Attorney General of Kano, Nigeria Police, Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 1, Kano, Kano State Commissioner of Police, and Kano State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Justice Samuel Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano ordered the state government on September 29 to pay the traders N30 billion as compensation against the N250 billion demanded by the traders for the illegal demolition of their property.

But following the refusal of the state government to obey the court order, the traders filed an ex parte motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1382/2023, before Justice Ekwo, seeking a garnishee order nisi attaching the funds (present and future) of the state government, KNUPDA, the Attorney General, including but not limited to the Kano State Federal Account Allocation Committee Account.

They also attached accounts in the custody of the respective garnishees to the tune of N30 billion in satisfaction of the September 29 judgement, among other reliefs, and Justice Ekwo granted the application on November 28.

Some of the garnishees joined in the suit included the Central Bank of Nigeria, Account General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Finance, FAAC, UBA, Zenith Bank, Unity Bank, and Polaris Bank, among others.

However, upon resumed hearing on Thursday, counsel for the judgement creditors (traders), Dr N. A. Ayagi, who read the garnishee proceeding initiated against the judgement debtors (state government and others) and the garnishees, informed the court that the parties had reached an agreement.

“We are glad to inform the court that the judgement creditors and the judgement debtors have reached a settlement. We have accordingly filed our terms of settlement,” he said.