Uzair Adam, Kano
Residents of Dangoro community in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State have held special prayers, seeking divine intervention over what they described as the government’s continuous takeover of their farmlands and plots.
The prayers followed reports of a plan by the state government to relocate the popular Yan Lemo Fruit Market and Yankaba Vegetables Market to the area — a move that residents fear could lead to more land seizures and displacement.
Speaking during the session, one of the affected landowners, Sadik Muhammad Abdullahi, said the people of Dangoro had suffered repeated losses of land to government projects.
“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 the government took them and gave me only one and a half plots as compensation,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the government’s plan would affect many residents, as most plots in the area were individually owned.
“If what happened before happens again — where someone loses eight plots and gets one or one and a half — some people might collapse or even die of shock. The situation is becoming unbearable,” he said.
Another landowner, Comrade Nuraini Adabayo, said the development had thrown the community into confusion.
“I encouraged others to buy land here, assuring them that the government would not carry out any further measurements since it had done so three times before. Now, we have over 40 plots belonging to me and others who trusted me. Some people have already started building,” he lamented.
Adabayo also faulted the short notice given by the government, saying that the land measurement for compensation was scheduled to start on Monday. He noted that several affected owners lived outside Kano, which could further complicate the process.
He appealed to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to consider relocating the markets to the Kano Economic City, which, he said, had enough space to accommodate both fruit and vegetable traders — similar to the relocation of pharmaceutical traders.
A respected community leader, Alhaji Gambo Saminu Adamu, also urged the governor to personally visit Dangoro to assess the situation.
“There is enough space at the Economic City to accommodate all these traders without taking away people’s lands,” he said.
When contacted, the District Head of Dangoro, Ishaq Yusuf Ishaq, declined to comment, saying the matter did not originate from his office.
“As a traditional titleholder, we have our protocols. You can contact the relevant government officials; they are aware of the development,” he said.
Similarly, the Director of Public Enlightenment at the Kano State Ministry of Lands, Murtala Shehu Umar, said he was not aware of the relocation 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 their prayers and urged the government to suspend the planned relocation, which they said threatened their livelihoods and ancestral heritage.