Court stops Kaduna Govt from building on senator’s land

A Kaduna High Court on Wednesday issued a fresh order restraining the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency, (KASUPDA) and its agents from building on a plot of land belonging to a senator, Suleiman Hunkuyi.

The court ordered cessation of actions on the land located at plot 11B Sambo Road, Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna, pending the determination of a suit before it.

The property was seized by the State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) and the building demolished on the order of the state government over alleged failure of the senator to settle several years of ground rent.

The judge, H. T. D. Gwadah, who gave the order, adjourned until October 23 for hearing in the case.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the KADGIS had said that it revoked the land and handed it over to KASUPDA to build a children’s park.

Dissatisfied with the action of the government and its agencies, Mr Hunkuyi through his lawyer, Dankofa Yusuf, approached the court asking it to order the government to give him compensation and halt further actions on the property which served as the secretariat of a faction of the All Progressive Congress in the state.

The court on March 15 gave an interim order restraining KADGIS and their agents from taking further actions on the property, including doing any harm to the boys’ quarters that survived the February 20 demolition.

The court, after issuing the order upon a motion exparte brought pursuant to Order 15 Rule 1 of the Kaduna State High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2007, adjourned the case to Oct. 23, 2018 for mention.