KEBBI GOVT, MALAMI TRADE BLAME OVER DEMOLITION OF PROPERTY

The Kebbi State Government and ADC governorship candidate Abubakar Malami have offered conflicting accounts of the demolition of a property in Birnin Kebbi.

The government says the incident arose from a private ownership dispute, while Malami alleges that political opponents destroyed the building to intimidate him and his supporters.

The property, located along Sani Abacha Bypass, reportedly housed the Malami Pressure Group, a political support organisation.

Commissioner for Information and Culture Yakubu Ahmed-BK said Governor Nasir Idris’s administration neither authorised nor participated in the demolition.

He said businessman Umaru Gulumbe had presented documents supporting his ownership claim, including a Certificate of Occupancy and records of complaints to the police and land authorities.

Ahmed-BK urged anyone challenging that claim to approach the courts, arguing that the dispute should not be presented as political persecution without evidence.

Malami, however, has petitioned the state Commissioner of Police over the incident.

In a statement issued through ADC media official Abubakar Abdullahi, his camp described the demolition as unlawful and alleged that it was intended to provoke supporters ahead of the 2027 elections.

The statement said Malami had instructed his lawyers to establish ownership, seek legal redress and demand compensation.

The ADC appealed to supporters to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

Meanwhile, the state government warned that it could pursue legal action over allegations it considered false.

The supplied report did not establish who authorised the demolition or provide a court determination resolving the competing ownership claims.