FHC Sharada Corner Shop Owners Petition DSS, Police Over Land Dispute

Shop owners at the Federal Housing Estate in Sharada, Kano, have expressed grave concerns over alleged harassment and illicit land grabs by individuals posing as federal agents.

Naija News reports that the shop owners, who have operated in the area for over two decades, have lodged formal complaints with several authorities, including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the State Governor, and the State Commissioner of Justice.

According to Alhaji Sani Maikusa, Chairman of the Committee of Corner-Shop Owners at Sharada Federal Housing Estate, and Hafiz Mato, the Secretary, these alleged impostors have been intimidating the legitimate landowners, threatening the peace and stability of the community.

“We are a peaceful and responsible people, most of us retirees and pensioners. We are not violent people, however, we wish to make it clear that we will fight with anything at our disposal to defend our honor and property,” the committee’s petition stated.

The shop owners claim that their legal ownership of the plots, some backed by titles valid for 60 to 99 years, is being unjustly contested.

Payments have been made and documents are awaiting regularization, yet, according to them, some corrupt elements within the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) are undermining these processes to favor political allies.

“It is sad that despite a valid and subsisting order of the Kano High Court by Hon. Justice Abdu Maiwada Abubakar in suit No. K/137/2023 restraining all the defendants from forcefully taking over our land, some shameless greedy persons have been duping unsuspecting buyers by reselling the same land,” the petition added.

The Committee accused the new management of the FHA of targeting their properties on tribal and religious grounds, a claim that raises serious concerns about discrimination and injustice in governmental practices.

They urged state leaders and stakeholders to intervene and halt what they described as a “dangerous experiment.”

“We are calling on the God-fearing, conscientious men and women leading our State as stakeholders to stop this dangerous experiment which is attempted in Kano allegedly by the new management of FHA on tribal and religious grounds while leaving the land in other states in Nigeria intact,” the statement read further.