Kano Gov’t to pay demolished shops owners N3bn

The Kano State Government on Thursday agreed to pay N3bn 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 December 13 by counsel for the parties before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that following the demolition of the shops on Governor Abba Yusuf’s order, 56 applicants, on behalf of the association, filed the suit marked FHC/KN/CS/208/2023 in Kano division.

The applicants sued the state government, the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority; the state Attorney General, the police; Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 1, Kano; Kano State Commissioner of Police; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant; and NSCDC, Kano State Command.

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Justice Samuel Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano on September 29 ordered the state government to pay the traders N30bn as compensation as against the N250bn 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 limited to Kano State Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Account.

They also attached accounts in the custody of the respective garnishees to the tune of N30bn in satisfaction of the September 29 judgment, 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, Polaris Bank, among others.

However, upon resumed hearing on Thursday, counsel for the judgment creditors (traders), Dr N. A. Ayagi, who read the garnishee proceeding initiated against the judgment 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 judgment creditors and the judgment debtors have reached a settlement. We have accordingly filed our terms of settlement,” he said.

Ayagi then adopted the terms of settlement and urged the court to enter it as consent judgment.

Also, counsel for the judgment debtors, Affis Matanmi, did not object to the application and Justice Ekwo consequently delivered the judgment as consented to by the parties.