Court Orders Governor State Govt to pay N8.5 bn in damages over illegal demolition

A Kano State High Court has ruled in favor of Lamash Properties Limited, awarding the company N8.511 billion in damages against the Kano State Government following the demolition of its buildings by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The court also instructed the defendants—Governor Yusuf, the Kano State Government, and the State Attorney General—to pay an additional N10 million to cover the cost of filing the case.

The buildings were demolished in June 2023 on the governor’s orders, sparking a legal battle by Lamash Properties, which argued that the demolition was unjustified.

In its lawsuit, Lamash Properties, represented by senior advocate Nureini Jimoh, SAN, contended that it had legally acquired the property under an agreement with the state government during the tenure of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

The company sought a declaration that the agreement to develop the site for commercial purposes remained valid and enforceable, even after the demolition order was issued by Governor Yusuf.

The defendants, including the Kano State Government’s legal representatives, Ibrahim Wangida and Bashir Muhammad, filed a conditional appearance in the case.

In his judgment on Wednesday, Justice Sunusi Ma’aji ruled in favor of Lamash Properties, affirming that the contract was enforceable. He condemned the demolition and, acknowledging that the buildings could not be restored, ordered the payment of their full monetary value to the plaintiff.

Reacting, Wangida however said that he had actually filed more than a Memorandum of Conditional Appearance.

“We filed a preliminary objection and a date was given for us to move our motion but the judge did not sit on the appointed date.

“Now, when the court fixed another date, a Hearing Notice was not served on us. It was neither served on me nor on Bashir Mohammed at our respective offices. They are claiming to have served it on Abdulkarim Maude, at No 63, Lamido Road.

“First, Maude has never been part of the case, and secondly, he said he was not even aware of the said service at his office. That is very strange.”

Wandiga said because they were not served with a Hearing Notice, they were not aware of the date and were not in court.
According to him, the plaintiff applied for “our Preliminary Objection to be dismissed and the court obliged. They also moved their own motion.

“And today, we were in court to apply that the last sitting of the court be set aside, but the judge insisted he was in court to deliver his judgement.”

He confirmed that they had already filed a motion requesting the court to overturn the judgment.

It’s worth noting that in September 2023, a Federal High Court in Kano ordered the state government to pay N30 billion in damages following the demolition of structures at Kofar Mata Eid Ground.

This ruling stemmed from a demolition carried out on June 3, 2023, just days after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office.

The governor personally led a demolition team to dismantle what he considered illegal structures erected on government land.

While some praised his efforts to “clean up” the system, the move faced significant backlash, with many criticizing the approach.