Millions of naira lost, goods stolen’ — traders recount losses as demolition in Kano enters third day

Traders in Kano say the ongoing demolition exercise by the state government is crippling their means of livelihood.

On Friday, a task force set up by Abba Yusuf, governor of the state, commenced the demolition of structures believed to be illegally erected on properties belonging to the government.

Yusuf said the demolition exercise was part of the fulfilment of his campaign promise to “restore” the urban development masterplan of the city and insisted that the exercise was not a vendetta against the past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.

He added that more demolition would follow.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state said the governor’s actions were barbaric, adding that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) administration had paralysed Kano and was threatening its position as the commercial seat of northern Nigeria.

According to Daily Trust, hundreds of youths and some elderly persons were seen looting the demolished structures on Monday.

Many of the marketers and business owners said it was painful watching looters cart away their goods and other fittings from their shops, adding that over 200 shops with goods worth hundreds of millions of naira have been lost.

Shamsu Abdussalam, a trader, said he lost over N10 million to the demolition because he offloaded goods worth over N5 million in his shop and store, a few days before the demolition.

“I have two shops and a store upstairs, but everything was looted at midnight. I have an investment of over N10 million inside. They watched the thugs loot our belongings,” Daily Trust quoted  Abdussalam to have said.

Aminu Gama, who sells plastics in the market, said he lost his entire capital of over N7 million which took him decades to raise.

“I was told that thugs were already in our market around 2 am. When I came here I found that they broke the door and looted everything I have inside. This includes my money which I don’t even know the exact amount,” he was quoted to have said.

According to a statement released by Sunusi Bature, chief press secretary to the governor, Yusuf asked the police to check the activities of “scavengers who are trying to destroy public properties in the name of evacuating the debris of some buildings pulled down by the state government in the on-going demolition of illegal structures approved by the immediate past administration in the state”.