The Salanta Community in the Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State has made a passionate appeal to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to temper justice with mercy by not demolishing their houses.
The public outcry came as the state task force on mass demolition under the Urban Protection and Development Authority marked hundreds of houses in the community for demolition.
The leader of the community, Alhaji Ali Abdulrazaq, made the appeal while addressing newsmen on the latest development in that regard on Saturday.
He expressed worry over the reasons the government marked their houses for demolition after satisfying all legal requirements and procedures in the acquisition of their properties.
Abdulrazaq explained that the residents woke up on Friday morning in shock after sighting KNUPDA officials issuing an order notice to the residents and occupiers in that community to remove their structures forthwith or stand the risk of being demolished.
“In fact, they went as far as writing such orders on our walls telling every house owner to remove the structures on the ground or risk demolition.
“As at the time we acquired our lands, this place was so deserted to the extent that people were being killed and dumped inside uncompleted buildings here. We remained here until this place became open to social visibility, and now, the government has asked us to leave and marked our houses for demolition. This is not fair,” Abdulrazaq lamented.
Other affected members of the community, Alhaji Ali Rabiu Abbas and Saminu Shehu Muhammed, also called on the government to rethink the decision, saying they have spent their entire active lives building their houses.
They appealed to the government to consider the large families that would be rendered homeless if the demolition is carried out.
“We have not done anything wrong to warrant any threat. After all, we are indigenes of Kano, and we all have the right to own and acquire land wherever we deem fit. We are appealing to the present administration under Abba Kabiru Yusuf to temper justice with mercy because many people might not survive the demolition of their houses by the state.
“It’s good to avoid anything that would cause problems leading to loss of lives. Similar episodes happened in the past, and the result was not favourable to the victims,” they reminded.
The NNPP-led administration recently directed the immediate demolition of all property encroaching on public schools, marketplaces, mosque premises, graveyards, and other public places sold to individuals by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
The buildings marked for demolition in the Salanta community are said to have encroached on part of the reserved land of Kano State Polytechnic, along Bayero University, Kano.
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