There was pandemonium in Kaduna at the weekend, as policemen dispersed traders who trooped the streets while jubilating a court order against the State Governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, to pay compensation for demolishing shops and markets in the city.
The protest followed an order by Kaduna State High Court to the State Government that each of the shop owners in Kasuwan-Barci market, in Tudun-Wada area of Kaduna metropolis, be reinstated into the market.
The tension reportedly escalated on Sunday evening, when armed Police stormed the market, shooting tear gas and live bullets in the air, as shop owners trooped to the streets demanding that Governor el-Rufai obey the court order, by paying them compensation over their demolished shops and markets. While traders were reportedly set to embark on a peaceful protest, armed policemen stormed the venue, saying there is an order from above to stop the protest.
Consequently, some officers and men of the Police Force, who were at the scene of the protest, in a swift response, dispersed the shop owners from addressing their members and newsmen. The Police were also seen pulling down all the canopies arranged for the event along Kasuwan Barci axis of Dutsinma road, Tudun Wada.
This later led to serious confrontation with the sister security agency; the Kaduna State Vigilante Service (KADVIS), who had earlier given security cover to the traders at the venue. The armed policemen were said to have resorted to tear-gassing the crowd and firing bullets in the air to disperse the traders. But a few hours later, the shop owners regrouped at another location and addressed newsmen.
Recall that the court had on the 28 of September 2022 ruled in favour of the plaintiffs (shop owners), instructing the Kaduna state government that the shop owners be adequately compensated. The State government had taken over the market and subsequently demolished the old structure of the market sometime in March 2020, while about 4,600 shop owners were affected. All the market locations in the State were also affected by the demolition.
The traders of the Kasuwan Barci and Raga markets, all within the Kaduna metropolis, dissatisfied by the action of the State government, approached the court to interpret the extent of its powers over the markets. However, the presiding judge, Justice A. Edward Andow, in his judgment, pronounced that the Kaduna State government lacks the constitutional powers to unilaterally take over the Kasuwan-Barci market in the way and the manner it did.
In jubilation of the court order, the shop owners flooded the streets at the weekend, urging the government not to deny them of their right as pronounced by the court. The affected shop owners called on the State Government to respect the rule of law by obeying the court order.
