Tension mounts within the Sabon Gari axis of Kano as many traders and business owners cry out over the sealing of their shops, mini-malls, marts, and other business premises.
According to eyewitness accounts and shop owners, government officials acting under the directive of the State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning stormed the commercial district of Saving Gari, overnight and padlocked numerous business outlets.
Our Correspondent gathered that the officials cited the non-payment of annual tenement rates by property owners as justification for the action.
However, the enforcement measure has sparked outrage among the affected business operators, the majority of whom are tenants and claim to have no knowledge of any outstanding tenement levies owed to the government.
The sealed shops include grocery stores, boutiques, restaurants, salons, electronics outlets, and various small and medium enterprises—many of which deal in perishable goods now at risk of spoilage.
“I arrived at my shop this morning to begin preparing food for our morning customers only to see it locked with a government padlock. All my food items—meat, vegetables, drinks—are trapped inside. They will all go bad in a matter of hours. Who is going to pay me back for this loss?” lamented Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu, who runs a small restaurant along France Road.
Another affected trader, Mr. Ayodele Makinde, who owns a household electronics shop, expressed dismay over the indiscriminate nature of the government’s action.
“This is not just about money anymore. It is about injustice. We are tenants. We pay our rent dutifully to landlords. If there’s a levy issue, it’s between the government and the property owners. Why punish us?”
Reports indicate that many of the sealed buildings are owned by private landlords, and the tenants had neither prior notice nor official communication from the state government before the nighttime operation.
This, according to observers, raises legal and ethical concerns.
A cosmetics vendor, Joy Onuorah, shared her frustration: “I am a widow with three children. This business is how I survive. Now my shop is under lock and key. No notice, no dialogue—just oppression. We are being punished simply because we are non-indigenes.”
The Sabon Gari area, historically home to a significant population of non-indigenous Nigerians—predominantly from the South-East and South-West regions—is now witnessing growing anxiety. Several community leaders and civil society organizations are interpreting the government’s action as an ethnic and economic aggression targeted at non-indigenous residents.
“This is not happening in any other business area in Kano. Go to Tarauni, Kurna, or even Wapa in Fagge. Nothing like this is happening there. Why always Sabon Gari? It speaks volumes about the mindset of the current administration,” said Mr. Leo Ikenna, a community leader in the area.
The economic impact is also staggering. Analysts estimate that losses from the sudden lockdown—especially for businesses dealing in perishables and daily sales—may run into hundreds of millions of naira within just 24 hours. For a state grappling with growing unemployment and economic stagnation, critics argue this is a step in the wrong direction.
In the wake of the development, the affected traders and residents are calling on Hon. Seyi Olorunsola, Senior Legislative Aide to the Deputy Senate President and a former Councillor in Fagge Local Government Area, to bring their plight to the attention of federal authorities.
“We are appealing to Hon. Seyi Olorunsola to help amplify our voices to the Deputy Senate President, Distinguished Senator Barau Jibril, and the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Yusuf Atah, who is a son of the soil from Fagge. Let them intervene before this injustice festers into a bigger crisis,” the traders said in a joint appeal.
As of press time, there has been no official response from the Kano State Government on whether the action will be reversed or if the sealed shops will be reopened. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Sabon Gari remains tense as business owners, residents, and passersby gather in clusters, waiting anxiously for clarity and hoping for a resolution.
