Court awards N8.5bn damages against Kano govt over unwarranted demolition

A high court in Kano State has awarded Lamash Properties Limited damages amounting to N8,511,000,000 against the Kano State Government.

This judgment follows the demolition of properties owned by Lamash Properties, carried out on the orders of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

In addition to the damages, the court ordered the defendants—which include the Kano State Government, Governor Abba Kabir, and the state Attorney General—to pay an extra N10,000,000 to cover the cost of filing the case.

The buildings in question were demolished in June 2023, prompting Lamash Properties to file a lawsuit.

The company argued that the demolitions were unwarranted since they had legally acquired the properties through an agreement with the state government during the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

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Lamash, represented by its counsel Nureini Jimoh, SAN, sought a declaration confirming that the agreement with the Kano State Government to develop the land for profitable purposes was valid, enforceable, and still in effect at the time of the demolition ordered by Governor Yusuf.

The defendants, represented by Ibrahim Wangida and Bashir Muhammad, submitted a Memorandum of Conditional Appearance. However, they claimed to have filed more than this initial document, including a preliminary objection.

According to court records, a date was set for them to present their motion, but the judge did not hold a session on that date. When a subsequent date was scheduled, they received no Hearing Notice, which they argued meant they were unaware of the court proceedings.

In a related matter, a Federal High Court in Kano had previously awarded N30 billion in damages to the government for demolishing structures at Kofar Mata Eid Ground, following a demolition exercise led by Governor Yusuf on June 3, 2023, shortly after he took office.

He claimed the structures were illegally erected on government land.

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