Tension Mounts As Security Operatives Gun Down Four Over Demolition Of Structures In Kano

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

No fewer than four persons are believed to have lost their lives to a  demolition exercise in Rimin Auzinawa Ungogo Local Council of Kano State.

The death of the four locals, according to eye witness accounts followed a violent  confrontation between security operatives and some victims of the demolition exercise.

It was gathered that trouble began at about 10 pm Sunday when some officials of the  Kano state Urban Planning and Development Authority KNUPDA, alongside  Security Personnel  moved in to pull down over 40 illegal structures earlier marked for demolition.

The structures, most of them said to be under construction, were said to be erected on land belonging to the Bayero University Kano BUK.

But an attempt by some of the owners of the marked structures to resist the demolition exercise was said to have led to the security operatives fatally shooting four persons, according to a witness.

“The structures, mostly residential,

numbering over 40, had earlier been marked for demolition by the KNUPDA.

The land in question is said to belong to  the Bayero University Kano BUK”, a witness volunteered .

However, another victim, noted that they were goaded into going ahead with construction works by an earlier clean bill of health issued by KNUPDA to owners.

“Before now, we had been assured by the authorities, that our properties were not within the BUK land.

“But we were  surprised to see the officials and security operatives on Sunday night, at about 10pm, demolishing the structures.

“When people resisted, security personnel opened fire, and in the process, about four persons were killed, and have been buried according to Islamic rites. It is a tragic situation”,  a local and one of  the victims of the  demolition exercise stated.

As at the time of reporting, neither the Kano State Government, nor the security agencies has reacted to the development.

All attempts to speak with the authorities of KNUPDA on Monday February, 3, 2025, were unsuccessful, as its officials remained incommunicado.

Similarly, its Corporate Headquarters were almost completely deserted due to what a junior staff attributed to fear of reprisal attacks by irate locals .

“There is tension and anxiety in the office. That is why the car parks are empty. No senior officials are around.

“You can only see junior staff with no clear directive on what to do”, a junior staff noted

However, a middle level official, who craved anonymity informed that the demolition  exercise was not carried out by the KNUPDA, but by a taskforce constituted by the State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning.

A staff of the Ministry however assured that the Kano State Government will be  issuing an official statement in that regard soon.