Communities Bemoan Midnight Demolition Of Houses By Governor El-Rufa’s Bulldozers
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Residents of five communities whose houses have been demolished along the popular Patrick Yakowa Way, Kaduna, have expressed deep concern and total rejection of the midnight demolition of their properties by the Kaduna state government.
The victims that constitute landlords and residents in five main communities namely; Karji, Babban Saura, Tsohon Bagodo, Ungwan Waziri among others said to make matters worse, they were not serve notice on their property which were legally acquired having followed all due processes in accordance with laid down government policy on acquisition of land and buildings.
Spokesman of the affected victims, Mallam Aliyu Mustapha told journalists in Kaduna on Sunday that their houses and other properties were demolished without prior notice by the agents of the state government
Mustapha stressed that the painful demolition exercise came to them as a rude shock given that the exercise was carried out in the midnight without any order given to them except threat from armed security personnel.
He therefore called on the Kaduna state government to a matter of national concern, stop the demolition to enable it dialogue with the residents as well as verify their documents that were issued by the Kaduna State government.
Mustapha specifically said that their demolished houses and other structures were not illegal as they have valid papers from the same government authority, stressing that after the demolition, residents of the affected communities have no place to go with members of their families.
He said that it is quite disturbing that residents of the communities including the victims of the midnight demolition exercise are not being listened to in their attempt to talk to the staff of KASPDA which he noted is deliberate.
Members of the affected communities expressed concern on how and why an order given to those having businesses and containers along the road to relocate in order to free the new road from unnecessary congestion could be converted to demolition of residential houses without notice and worst of all at midnight when people are sleeping with their families made up of children and women.
