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From Desmond Mgboh Kano
Owners of the recently demolished structures in Kano State have forwarded a letter of criminal complaints to the Nigeria police, calling for investigation into the demolition of their property.
Specifically, the traders are asking the police to investigate the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf and the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for the demolition of their properties.
Registered as Masallacin Eid Shop Owners and Traders Association, the traders, who recently secured a compensation of N30 billion against the state government, observed that the government had failed to officially apologise for its action.
The traders slso recalled that the leader of the NNPP and former governor of the state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso personally reminded them of his pre-elections promise to demolish their properties in addition to describing their entire wealth as useless.
Speaking during a press conference in Kano, their counsel, Maaruf Yakasai recalled that the members had suffered untold psychological trauma and torture as a result of the demolition.
The lawyer told journalists that the traders lost about 30 of their members while several others fell sick following the demolition embarked upon by the state government.
The traders explained that they had accepted the amount offered by government as compensation largely because they were more interested in establishing the guilt of the state government in the civil case.
“We need the criminal aspect of the case investigated and the guilty to face the full wrath of the law” they stated while urging the police to build on the judgement of the Federal High Court which described the action of the government as illegal, unconstitutional and barbaric.
A top Kano State government official, who sought anonymity, however, told Saturday Sun that as of the moment, the government was not aware of any letter against it even as he observed that as far as the case was concerned, a settlement had been reached and implementation of the settlement had since commenced.
