Bulldozers Begin Demolition Of Houses In Zaria

Bulldozers deployed by the Kaduna State government yesterday demolished all the houses behind the Alhudahuda College in Zaria.

Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i had approved the demolition as part of his government’s decision to sanitise premises of schools, hospitals and other public institutions.

On Sunday at a town hall meeting, the governor said there was no going back on the decision.

Some house owners wept openly yesterday, alleging that some of the houses demolished were not within the premises of Alhudahuda College, and described the action as “wicked”.

Malam Shehu Aliyu, a resident, said; “My house was not within the premises of Alhudahuda, yet it was among those demolished by the government we elected. Despite the fact that I am shedding tears because some people are using the powers Allah has given them to push us out of our houses, I am taking solace in the fact that Allah is in heaven waiting for all of us. I wish to thank el-Rufa’i for this reward. We are very grateful. I also wish to thank a former permanent secretary and INEC scribe for engineering the demolition.

As you can see, most of us don’t have anywhere to go with our families, yet they don’t care. The fact that our houses did not fall within the premises of Alhudahuda also doesn’t concern them. They are telling us they are ignorant and they don’t care about people like us who are less privileged.”

According to DailyTrust, as at the time of filing this report, all structures in the area had been completely pulled down.