By Uzair Adam
A legal dispute has emerged involving Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf over a contentious land allocation in Kwankwasiyya City, Kano.
The case, filed by Garba Musa Kwankwaso, centers on a vast expanse of land initially allocated to WAECO Nigeria Limited during the administration of former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Court documents reveal that the defendants include the state commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA), the Attorney General of Kano State, and others.
Garba Kwankwaso seeks an interlocutory injunction to prevent the governor and other parties from taking any action deemed adverse to his interests in the land.
The land dispute traces back to a 2017 investigation by the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, which revealed that WAECO, the company allocated the land, was not a legal entity at the time of allocation.
The commission found that the company was actually “Water and Agricultural Engineering Company Limited,” in which Rabiu Kwankwaso and his brother were directors.
Based on this finding, the commission recommended the revocation of the allocation, leading to subsequent reallocation by the administration of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
During Ganduje’s tenure, portions of the land were allocated to Mallam Kato Square and other original owners, including the Dantata family.
However, sources allege that Governor Yusuf has resisted revoking the land and returning it to WAECO Nigeria Limited, and that prompted Garba Kwankwaso to take legal action.
In an application filed at the Kano High Court, Garba Kwankwaso sought an order to restrain the defendants from entering, demarcating, or allocating the disputed land, pending the outcome of the substantive suit.
Justice Usman Na’abba granted the order on November 13 and adjourned the case until November 27 for further hearing.
The case sheds light on the ongoing complexities of land allocation and revocation in Kano State, raising questions about governance and legal accountability.