Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
The controversy surrounding the Federal Government Quarters along Kontagora Road in Sokoto escalated on Sunday as occupants of houses demolished by the Sokoto State Government staged a demonstration and appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the dispute and allow them to purchase the properties on an owner-occupier basis.
The affected residents, including serving and retired police personnel and families of deceased officers, said they had legitimately occupied the government quarters for several years and were alarmed by the demolition of their homes without, according to them, adequate consideration for their longstanding occupation.
Among the police officers and families affected are the Chief Imam of the Sokoto State Police Command, CSP Mukhtar Abdullahi, Commissioner of Police Umar Faruk, and ACP Haliru Gwarzo, who was reportedly associated with House Number 9 before his death.
The Sunday demonstration brought the grievances of the displaced occupants into public view, with protesters calling for urgent intervention by the Federal Government to prevent further demolition and displacement.
The occupants appealed to the Federal Government to resolve the controversy by offering the houses for sale to existing occupants on an owner-occupier basis, arguing that such a policy would provide a humane and lasting solution while also safeguarding government revenue and preventing further disputes over the properties.
One of the most emotional appeals came from Hajiya Safiya Haliru Gwarzo, widow of the late Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Haliru Gwarzo, whose family house was reportedly demolished during the exercise.
Reacting to the demolition, Hajiya Gwarzo told our correspondent that her late husband died leaving her with their children, and that the family had continued to live in the house for several years before the demolition.
She expressed anguish over the action, alleging that the family had been legally occupying the property and questioning why bulldozers were suddenly deployed to pull down the house where she had raised her children.
According to her, “My late husband died and left me with our children. We have been living in this house for years, but now bulldozers have been brought to demolish the house.”
Hajiya Gwarzo further alleged that the decision to demolish the property was taken by the Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasiru Dantsoho, whom she said directed the deployment of bulldozers to the disputed quarters.
She appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene, stressing that the affected occupants should be given the opportunity to acquire the houses they had occupied for years rather than being abruptly displaced.
Her appeal has resonated with other occupants, who argued that an owner occupier arrangement would be a more equitable and sustainable approach to resolving the longstanding controversy surrounding the quarters.
The protesters maintained that the demolition of residential buildings occupied by families, particularly widows and children of deceased police officers, had created serious humanitarian concerns and should prompt immediate intervention by the Federal Government.
The controversy has also raised broader questions over the ownership and administrative control of the quarters, including whether the properties belong to the Federal Government and, if so, the legal authority under which the Sokoto State Government undertook the demolition.
The occupants are consequently demanding clarity on the legal status of the properties, the basis for their eviction and demolition, and whether the Federal Government was consulted before the exercise was carried out.
They urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government and relevant ministries and agencies to investigate the matter, establish the rightful ownership of the quarters and consider selling the properties to existing occupants under a transparent and properly documented owner-occupier scheme.
The dispute is particularly sensitive because several affected occupants are serving or former police personnel who have spent substantial portions of their careers serving the country, while some families have lived in the quarters for many years.
For Hajiya Gwarzo and other displaced families, the issue goes beyond bricks and mortar, as the demolished houses represented homes where families were raised and memories of deceased loved ones preserved.
The occupants therefore appealed for compassion, justice and due process, insisting that the government should pursue a resolution that protects public interest without inflicting unnecessary hardship on families who have occupied the properties for years.
As the controversy continues to generate public concern, stakeholders are calling on both the Federal and Sokoto State Governments to urgently engage the affected occupants and resolve the ownership and occupancy dispute through dialogue, proper documentation and the rule of law.
The protesters said their ultimate demand was not confrontation but a permanent solution- the opportunity to legally acquire the houses they occupy on an owner-occupier basis, subject to appropriate valuation, documentation and approval by the competent Federal Government authorities.
