By Uzair Adam
Residents of Dangoro community in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State on Saturday held a special prayer session, seeking divine intervention over what they described as the continuous takeover of their farmlands and plots by the state government.
The residents said they were thrown into panic following the government’s plan to relocate the Yan Lemo Fruit Market and Yankaba Vegetables Market to their area, an action they fear will lead to another round of land seizures and displacements.
Speaking during the prayer session, one of the affected landowners, Sadik Muhammad Abdullahi, expressed frustration over what he called repeated loss of property to government projects.
He stated that, “This is the fourth time such an incident is happening in Dangoro. I was a victim of the previous one. I had eight plots of farmland, but when the government came, it took them and gave me only one and a half plots as compensation. I later sold it and bought another land, which is now being targeted again.”
Abdullahi added that many residents could suffer the same fate if the plan goes ahead, saying the area consists of individually owned plots, which would make fair compensation extremely difficult.
“If what happened before happens again — where someone loses eight plots and gets one or one and a half plots — some people might collapse or even die of shock. The situation is becoming unbearable,” he lamented.
Another landowner, Comrade Nuraini Adabayo, said the community had been devastated since hearing of the government’s plan.
“I even encouraged others to buy land here, assuring them that the government would not carry out any further measurements since it had done that three times before.
“Now, we have over forty plots belonging to me and others who trusted me. Some people have even laid foundations for their buildings. I don’t know what to tell them,” Adabayo added.
He also complained that the government gave them very short notice, with the land measurement for compensation expected to start on Monday.
He added that many of the affected landowners do not live in Kano, making the process more complicated.
He appealed to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to consider relocating the markets to Kano Economic City, where, according to him, there is ample space to accommodate both the fruit and vegetable traders, similar to how the medicine sellers were relocated.
A respected community member, Alhaji Gambo Saminu Adamu, also urged the state government to urgently address the situation to prevent what he described as a looming humanitarian problem.
“I call on His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to personally visit this community and see the situation himself rather than relying on reports.
There is enough space at the Economic City to accommodate all these traders without taking away people’s lands,” Alhaji Adamu added.
When contacted, the District Head of Dangoro, Ishaq Yusuf Ishaq, declined to comment, saying the issue did not originate from his office.
“As a traditional titleholder, we have our protocols. But you can contact the relevant government officials; they are aware of the development,” he said.
Similarly, when reached for comment, the Director of Public Enlightenment at the Kano State Ministry of Land, Murtala Shehu Umar, said he was not aware of the plan.
“Well, I am not aware of this ongoing plan. However, once I get any information, I will let you know. Maybe we can meet on Monday at the community during the exercise or before that time,” he stated.
The residents vowed to continue seeking divine intervention and called on the government to halt the planned relocation to prevent what they described as a threat to their livelihoods and ancestral heritage.