Traders lament as Kano traffic boss leads demolition of shops at GSM Market

Several young business owners at Farm Centre GSM Village, Kano’s major mobile phone market, have been rendered jobless and left to count their losses following the demolition of their shops by security officials reportedly led by the Managing Director of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Baffa Babba Dan Agundi.

Daily Trust reports that this is the second demolition expedition embarked upon by the traffic boss within one week.

The first one happened on Sunday at Hausawa New layout in the state’s metropolis.

It was gathered that at least 150 shops were affected in the latest demolition.

It was gathered that five vehicles of Anti-Daba Squad of the state police command were led by Dan Agundi to demolish the shops with properties worth over N100 million at Bello Kano GSM Market at Farm Center GSM village.

Nura Shehu, one of victims, said Dan Agundi demolished their shops same day they had a meeting with him.

“On Wednesday, we had a meeting with Baffa Dan Agundi over these shops and stalls that are on a land he claimed to be his own and he gave us two days notice to move out all our properties or he will demolish everything.

“But that same day, our shops were demolished in the night. I have lost properties in my two shops worth over N25 million”, Shehu said.

Sani Yakubu, who said he lost over N14 million worth of properties, corroborated what Shehu said.

“Yes we had a meeting with him around 8pm in the night and he told us if we can remove all our properties that same night, we are safe. There are almost 200 shops and stalls in that place how can we move everything in that same night ? I was called in the early morning hours that our shops were demolished and only for me to come and find my shop with properties over N14 million nowhere to be found”, he said amid tears.

Alkassim Musa, who said he was amongst the first people that saw the incident in the early hours of Thursday, said he saw uncountable number of phones damaged and other properties.

However, when contacted, Dan Agundi said the land does not belong to him as alleged, but the owner of the stalls encroached into someone else’s land.

Dan Agundi added that, last month Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, KNUPDA, also communicated with the owner of the market and gave him notice to relocate from the land he rented out to the shop owners but he refused again, and finally the demolition took place.

He, however, refused to disclose the identity of the said owners of land despite being pressed for it.

(Daily Trust)