Saturday, August 2, 2025 - Business owners, mostly non-indigenes, in Sabon Gari area of Kano State have been displaced from their legitimate businesses following the closure of their shops by the officials of Kano State Government.
The closure of shops and business premises has led to the
displacement of business owners mostly from the South-south and South-east
regions of Nigeria.
One of the affected shop owners alleged that government
officials acting on the directive of the State Ministry of Land and Physical
Planning, swooped into the Sabon Gari commercial district overnight and
padlocked multiple business outlets.
“I arrived at my shop this morning to begin preparing food
for our morning customers only to see it locked with a government padlock.
“All my food items—meat, vegetables, drinks—are trapped
inside. They will all go bad in a matter of hours. Who is going to pay me back
for this loss?” lamented Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu, who runs a small restaurant along
France Road.
Another affected trader, Mr. Ayodele Makinde, who owns a
household electronics shop, expressed dismay over the indiscriminate nature of
the government’s action.
“This is not just about money anymore. It is about
injustice. We are tenants. We pay our rent dutifully to landlords. If there’s a
levy issue, it’s between the government and the property owners. Why punish
us?”
A cosmetics vendor, Joy Onuorah, shared her
frustration. “I am a widow with three children. This business is how I
survive. Now my shop is under lock and key. No notice, no dialogue—just
oppression. We are being punished simply because we are non-indigenes.”
Many of the shops comprised a range of businesses, including
grocery stores, boutiques, restaurants, salons, and electronics outlets, as
well as various small and medium-sized enterprises.
However, officials of the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning cited the non-payment of annual tenement rates by property owners as justification for the action
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