Illegal demolition : Court orders Kano govt to pay N8.5bn

A Kano State High Court has directed the Kano State Government to pay N8.511 billion in damages to Lamash Properties Limited, whose buildings were demolished under orders from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Sunusi Ma’aji, also mandated the state government, Governor Yusuf, and the Attorney General to pay an additional N10 million as litigation costs.

The demolished structures, destroyed in June 2023, were at the center of a legal dispute initiated by Lamash Properties. The company claimed the demolition was unwarranted and that it had legally acquired the property through an agreement with the previous administration.

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In its suit, Lamash, represented by its lawyer, Nureini Jimoh, SAN, sought a declaration affirming the validity and enforceability of its agreement with the state government to develop the site for commercial purposes.

The defendants, represented by lawyers Ibrahim Wangida and Bashir Muhammad, filed a Memorandum of Conditional Appearance but faced challenges during the legal process.

Justice Ma’aji ruled in favor of Lamash Properties, affirming that the agreement with the state government was binding and valid. He stated that since the demolished buildings could not be restored, their monetary value should be compensated.

Wangida, however, contested the judgment process, alleging procedural irregularities. “We filed a preliminary objection and were given a date to present it, but the judge did not sit. When a new date was set, no Hearing Notice was served on us,” he claimed.

He added that they had requested the court to set aside its judgment but were denied.

In a related development, the Federal High Court in Kano had in September 2023 ordered the state government to pay N30 billion in damages for the demolition of structures at Kofar Mata Eid Ground. That demolition, led by Governor Yusuf shortly after his inauguration in June 2023, sparked mixed reactions, with some supporting his efforts to remove alleged illegal structures and others criticizing his actions.