Kano State Government has agreed to pay N3 billion as compensation to Incorporated Trustees of Masallacin Eid Shop Owners and Traders Association for the unlawful demolition of their property.

The agreement was reached through an application on terms of settlement dated December 12 and filed December 13, 2023 by counsel to parties before Justice Inyang Ekwo of Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the demolition of the shops on Governor Abba Yusuf’s order, 56 applicants, on behalf of the association, had filed the suit marked: FHC/KN/CS/208/2023 in the Kano division of the FHC.

The applicants sued the state government, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), as well as Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among others. Justice Samuel Amobeda had, on September 29, 2023 ordered the state government to pay the traders N30 billion as compensation against the traders’ N250 billion demand, for the illegal demolition of their property.

But following the refusal of the state government to obey the order, the traders filed an ex parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1382/2023 before Justice Ekwo, seeking a Garnishee Order Nisi attaching the funds (present and future) of Kano government, including but limited to Kano State Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Account.

St resumption of hearing, yesterday, counsel to the judgment creditors (traders), Dr N. A. Ayagi, who read the garnishee proceedings initiated against the judgment debtors (state government and others) and the garnishees, informed the court that the parties had reached an agreement.

“We are glad to inform the court that the judgment creditors and debtors have reached a settlement. We have accordingly filed our terms of settlement,” he said.

Ayagi then adopted the terms of settlement and urged the court to enter it as a consent judgment. Also, lawyer to the judgment debtors, Affis Matanmi, did not object to the application and Justice Ekwo consequently delivered the judgment as agreed to by the parties.