Four Kano Residents Shot Dead In Clash With Security Agents Over Demolition


By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna

Tragedy hit Kano State, North-West Nigeria, as
four persons were reportedly shot dead by uniformed gunmen, believed to be security operatives.

The incident, which occurred at Rimin Auzinawa, Ungogo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state,followed a violent confrontation between some residents and the security operatives deployed to oversee a demolition exercise allegedly ordered by the state government.

The operatives were said to have opened fire when the residents resisted destruction of their property.

The stage for the developments came recently when the Kano Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA) marked about 40 of the affected residential buildings, still under construction, for possible demolition.

However, sources said, the land on which the structures were built was said to be in dispute as some claimed it belongs to a popular university in the city.

But, residents affected by the demolition claimed that KNUPDA had earlier resolved the land ownership matter, saying that the property was not part of the university’s land and thus ruling out the possibility of any case being made against owners and occupants of the buildings for intrusion on the land.

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One of the residents, who craved anonymity for fear of reprisal, said: “We resolved all issues with KNUPDA. They assured us our properties were not within the university land.

“But on Sunday night, officials of KNUPDA and security operatives arrived and demolished the buildings.

“When people resisted, security forces opened fire, killing four individuals who have now been buried. It’s a tragic situation.”

Efforts to obtain an official response from KNUPDA were unsuccessful, as the agency’s Managing Director (MD), Arc. Ibrahim Yakub Adamu, was unreachable.

Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Superintendent Abdullahi Haruna, however, confirmed the incident.

When journalists visited the KNUPDA office, it was largely deserted, with a staff member attributing the absence of key officials to fear of possible attacks by aggrieved persons affected by the demolition.

“There is tension in the office. That’s why the car parks are empty and no senior officials are present. Only junior staff are here, with no clear directive on what to do,” the official said.

However , a senior KNUPDA director, the only high-ranking official available, denied the agency’s involvement in the demolition, stating that it was carried out by a task force from the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning.

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An official from the ministry, also speaking anonymously, confirmed that the land belongs to the university, assuring that government would soon issue an official statement on the entire matter.


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