This is a brief history on the planned demolition of the sprawling settlement called Gbagyi Villa in the southern part of Kaduna city.

The area called Gbagyi Villa was formally thought to be part of the permanent site for Kaduna polytechnic. Some say that due to Kaduna politics and it being located in Kaduna South, just a few departments and the housing quarters were built there while the main campus remained in the Northern part with no plan of moving them.

The average Gwari man seeing such large amount of land lying fallow in a developed area knowing fully well that the polytechnic would never move there took it up. They got lawyers, went to court and argued that it wasn't the whole land that was given to the polytechnic and that about half still belongs to them. This story seems true because the boundaries they claimed were demarcated by 'boundary trees' which are still there.

They won the court case, and the polytechnic subsequently fenced off their portion. The land was well surveyed and planned out in plots of 100 by 50ft and as usual, such a new layout bordering the most populous area in Kaduna South (Sabon-tasha) was hot cake. At first, people were scared and it was cheap but it rapidly appreciated in value and was bought up.

Now this place is a large area and not just some houses. In fact, it's a community on its own. Worse still, most of the houses there are exquisite personal houses with few under rent. Demolition would throw alot of families (many of which are retirees) into the streets.

Currently there should be at least 1500 - 2500 well built houses there and alot more under construction.
The question is all these houses payed heavily to the state planning agency (KASUPDA) and submitted plans before building. Why is it now that the Government is waking up to put a demolition notice?

This isn't just like demolishing houses, it's like demolishing a whole community and not just any community. It's a community which very soon would be the most beautiful in Kaduna South apart from Barnawa and Narayi high cost
I heard the Sarki and the community are taking the issue to court again. Apart from that, I think they should use the media. We've seen how powerful the media can be. Get pictures and post here, on Facebook and Twitter. Get journalists to cover the story. The Governor can't go ahead with this!


Disclaimer: let me make it clear that quite a number of times, I support the demolition of structures especially when they constitute a nuisance. That of Gbagyi Villa however is different. It's not just houses. It's a whole settlement with thousands of buildings- a lot being people's life's sweat. Moreover, it doesn't constitute any nuisance and not sitting on any critical infrastructure. It's a well planned area. As a matter of fact, if every area in Kaduna was as well planned as it, Kd would be much more better than it is today. So why demolish a whole town??

Below are satellite images of the area from Google maps
The first shows the polytechnic (highlighted in blue) and the area (in red). The second and third are closer views of the area to appreciate the housing denity. It's bounded below by a river (the greenish line)

What Elrufais obsession with making people homeless? He must learn to be human for once!

Thanks for the history class.

I think there would be relocation / reimbursement plan


If not , I support they defend their community anyhow they deem fit

vikacydevato:
Thanks for the history class.

Lol. Thanks. Sometimes, it's necessary.

So sad! Is there a cogent reason why the government wants to demolish?
Create more awareness through the media as earlier advised.

DaBullIT:
I think there would be relocation / reimbursement plan


If not , I support they defend their community anyhow they deem fit

There is virtually no where he can relocate that number of people to around Kaduna town. Except if he wants to send them into the bush.
Moreover, if it was a commercial area, like some areas within town, the shop owners would just move and let him sort it out with the landlords. This area is almost totally residential and even off the express. Like I have said most of the houses are people's life's sweat.
It was someone's complaint about his family on another thread that prompted me to write this.
This is an issue that can bring about an unrest in Kaduna.

delpee:
So sad! Is there a cogent reason why the government wants to demolish?
Create more awareness through the media as earlier advised.

It still has to do with them insisting that the land belongs to the Government. The property owners there should speak up

jedisco:

Lol. Thanks. Sometimes, it's necessary.

Thanks for the info. This is the kind of stuff that gives one the means to form an informed opinion about an event, and not the overly emotional tantrums from bigots that populate the forum.

I think with this, the protest against the planned demolition has very good merit and it would be very irresponsible of the government not to review their decision. After all (from your info) it is not an illegal settlement/community.

El Rufai has to wield his powers with moderation.

omenka:
Thanks for the info. This is the kind of stuff that gives one the means to form an informed opinion about an event, and not the overly emotional tantrums from bigots that populate the forum.

I think with this, the protest against the planned demolition has very good merit and it would be very irresponsible of the government not to review their decision. After all (from your info) it is not an illegal settlement/community.

El Rufai has to wield his powers with moderation.

You're welcome.
From the first picture, it's obvious that the polytechnic is virtually barren with just a few structures and fallow land. If it comes to relocation, it would be much easier to move the polytechnic out instead of the town. It's not like kd does not have ample space.

The thing is that the Government is insisting that there is no way that area would have belonged to the Gwaris and would have sat fallow between Romi and Sabo (two highly populated areas in Kaduna) for decades. But then, they should have argued that in court and not come to demolish years after loosing a case. After all, if the polytechnic was moved there as planned, no one would be having this discussion now

Gbagys'(Gwari) are fond of this recurring fraud. Government will acquire land from them, pay adequate compensation which they will happily collect. Decades latter they will encroach on the same land and label it ancestral/ community land. Before you know it they will hire the services of a surveyor ,parcelate the land and start selling same at crimminally cheap prices.

I bet you, no gbagy man have any modern house in that settlement . They always alert their well to do tribesmen on the real nature of their scam.
After hoodwinking innocent people into investing their lifesavings into this phony land ,with phony titles ,they want government to alter its plans to suit their criminality.

El rufai will have none of it. He first started with his hometown of Zaria. Every house built on school land whether acquired legally or illegally, whether thirty years old or six months was pulled down. Is it now kaduna south that he will pity?

That was how the gbagys encroached on Nigerian Air Force land in Asokoro extension( current NAF valley estate). Before you knew it, they installed a chief there, who was dashing out land and selling some at very cheap prices.(in Asokoro of all areas in Abuja.)

By the time airforce bulldozers came, they started with the gbagy chief's palace. The rest as they say is history. Moral of the story : when a Gbagy chief or community offers you a ridiculously cheap land in a very promising area, look that greek horse gift inside the mouth.

Very sorrowful but nevertheless sentimental post, u forgot to mention that as far back as 2009 or earlier people were been warned to stay clear of lands around that same GBAGYI VILLA... (KADPOLY land) Albeit d govt of the day didn't follow up & enforce its warning just like it happened @ NAFDAC layout in NARAYI, (NAFDAC testing laboratory & training school site)..... @ HAYIN DAN MANI (proposed site of MILLENIUM CITY) UNGWAR RIMI.... @ around TREASURES of d UNIVERSE behind NNPC quarters (for health reasons) due to proximity to KADUNA REFINERY.... @ d side of SHAGARI lowcost BARNAWA kaduna (shops have been built there despite warnings that pipe borne water pipes are buried around that route that supply d whole of that area up to (HIGHCOST) NARAYI , UNGWAR BORO & beyond & worse off d land around that area including d "SHAGARI LOWCOST" belongs not to d STATE GOVT but FEDERAL GOVT)..... @ KAKURI OPEN PRISON CAMP around UNGWAR SUNDAY/ TELEVISION (some people have bought & even built structures & a petrol station on land belonging to prisons services)!!!!!! @ GOVT college by GWAMNA road (d schools land have been encroached that its now hard to differentiate between d school quarters & private residence(s)!!! There are so many of such places within KADUNA METROPOLIS with indiscriminate structures popping up but for lack of time to mention them all..... Not forgetting land @ KUDENDA that was allocated for power plant (NIPP) that has been encroached too!!!!!!! & tomorrow or whenever they are served with demolition notice(s) they will scream wickedness, bigotry, religious fanaticism & all worth not when COMMON SENSE dictates u should avoid such piece(s) of land.... KASUPDA or which ever agency that gave d permit for building of structures will be d same guys that will roll in d bulldozers tomorrow...... CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!!!!!

El rufai should be called to order already.
Nigeria has a housing deficit of above 17 million houses. So why add thousands of families to the list of homeless ones

The act of demolition made him popular in Abuja so he now thinks the only way he can be remembered is how many houses he demolishes.

He forgot that to demolish is easier than building, and when you look again he hasn't built anything..

Marotzke:
Gbagys'(Gwari) are fond of this recurring fraud. Government will acquire land from them, pay adequate compensation which they will happily collect. Decades latter they will encroach on the same land and label it ancestral/ community land. Before you know it they will hire the services of a surveyor ,parcelate the land and start selling same at crimminally cheap prices.

I bet you, no gbagy man have any modern house in that settlement . They always alert their well to do tribesmen on the real nature of their scam.
After hoodwinking innocent people into investing their lifesavings into this phony land ,with phony titles ,they want government to alter its plans to suit their criminality.

El rufai will have none of it. He first started with his hometown of Zaria. Every house built on school land whether acquired legally or illegally, whether thirty years old or six months was pulled down. Is it now kaduna south that he will pity?

That was how the gbagys encroached on Nigerian Air Force land in Asokoro extension( current NAF valley estate). Before you knew it, they installed a chief there, who was dashing out land and selling some at very cheap prices.(in Asokoro of all areas in Abuja.)

By the time airforce bulldozers came, they started with the gbagy chief's palace. The rest as they say is history. Moral of the story : when a Gbagy chief or community offers you a ridiculously cheap land in a very promising area, look that greek horse gift inside the mouth.

Like I said, people were weary at first and steered clear during the dispute saga. It was after the court case was done with and the polytechnic fully fenced off their portion all round that the general populace started getting involved. People thought that the case was done and settled. Those who subsequently encroached into the fenced off poly land and started building were stopped and nobody raised any alarm cos everyone knew they were wrong.

Also, a good number of Gwaris live there (I personally know of two which are their personal houses). Most of the first people that bought land there were Gwaris, and people that contributed to the court case. Even a member of the immediate past state of assembly and a commissioner in the past Government have houses there. These were some of the things that encouraged people to start moving there.

Also, this is well different from those built around schools in the state. What people are saying is that why did the Government keep quiet all this while. If they continued agitating after the court case, people would have steered clear. Even if you come from the urban planning end, nothing is set in stone. what does the Government gain from throwing over a thousand families into the streets?

Elrufai is actually doing too much

maskamdo:
Very sorrowful but nevertheless sentimental post, u forgot to mention that as far back as 2009 or earlier people were been warned to stay clear of lands around that same GBAGYI VILLA... (KADPOLY land) Albeit d govt of the day didn't follow up & enforce its warning just like it happened @ NAFDAC layout in NARAYI, (NAFDAC testing laboratory & training school site)..... @ HAYIN DAN MANI (proposed site of MILLENIUM CITY) UNGWAR RIMI.... @ around TREASURES of d UNIVERSE behind NNPC quarters (for health reasons) due to proximity to KADUNA REFINERY.... @ d side of SHAGARI lowcost BARNAWA kaduna (shops have been built there despite warnings that pipe borne water pipes are buried around that route that supply d whole of that area up to (HIGHCOST) NARAYI , UNGWAR BORO & beyond & worse off d land around that area including d "SHAGARI LOWCOST" belongs not to d STATE GOVT but FEDERAL GOVT)..... @ KAKURI OPEN PRISON CAMP around UNGWAR SUNDAY/ TELEVISION (some people have bought & even built structures & a petrol station on land belonging to prisons services)!!!!!! @ GOVT college by GWAMNA road (d schools land have been encroached that its now hard to differentiate between d school quarters & private residence(s)!!! There are so many of such places within KADUNA METROPOLIS with indiscriminate structures popping up but for lack of time to mention them all..... Not forgetting land @ KUDENDA that was allocated for power plant (NIPP) that has been encroached too!!!!!!! & tomorrow or whenever they are served with demolition notice(s) they will scream wickedness, bigotry, religious fanaticism & all worth not when COMMON SENSE dictates u should avoid such piece(s) of land.... KASUPDA or which ever agency that gave d permit for building of structures will be d same guys that will roll in d bulldozers tomorrow...... CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!!!!!

If you think my post was sentimental, then point out the sentiments there in.
Like I said, there was an ongoing row with the Government and within this time, people steered clear. It was after the court case and even the polytechnic subsequently agreeing to the ruling by fully fencing off their portion that people began building there.
Like I stated, those that subsequently encroached the fully fenced off poly land were stopped and no one raised an alarm as they were clearly wrong

From this, it's clear that all those areas you listed are very much different from this case. This area is not obstructing any critical infrastructure and not posing any health risk. If you've visited the area you would know that these are not just maybe 50 or 100 buildings on Government land it's a whole settlement. It's just like destroying the whole Ungwan Sule part of Romi which is behind Command secondary school where the demarcations for the school is well outlined.
Why was the Government silent all this while if they were not satisfied with the court case? The polytechnic which was a federal institution in this case were well satisfied. So what's the state governments issue with it?

I Bought two plots of land somewhere in makurdi. When the landlord agreed to sell the first thing I did was to go straight to the ministry of land and survey to check if the land has issues (Government land or for a proposed govt building) The director assured me it wasn't a dispute land before I went ahead to make payments..

People should always check the availability of any land from the ministry of land and survey/ Urban development before making payments ooooooooh.


But if truly the have the R of O or C of O to these lands they should head straight to the court of law...

Good morning

Marotzke:
Gbagys'(Gwari) are fond of this recurring fraud. Government will acquire land from them, pay adequate compensation which they will happily collect. Decades latter they will encroach on the same land and label it ancestral/ community land. Before you know it they will hire the services of a surveyor ,parcelate the land and start selling same at crimminally cheap prices.

I bet you, no gbagy man have any modern house in that settlement . They always alert their well to do tribesmen on the real nature of their scam.
After hoodwinking innocent people into investing their lifesavings into this phony land ,with phony titles ,they want government to alter its plans to suit their criminality.

El rufai will have none of it. He first started with his hometown of Zaria. Every house built on school land whether acquired legally or illegally, whether thirty years old or six months was pulled down. Is it now kaduna south that he will pity?

That was how the gbagys encroached on Nigerian Air Force land in Asokoro extension( current NAF valley estate). Before you knew it, they installed a chief there, who was dashing out land and selling some at very cheap prices.(in Asokoro of all areas in Abuja.)

By the time airforce bulldozers came, they started with the gbagy chief's palace. The rest as they say is history. Moral of the story : when a Gbagy chief or community offers you a ridiculously cheap land in a very promising area, look that greek horse gift inside the mouth.

i guess u dnt knw d plc if u say Gbagyis dnt reside in dere.. dos who knw dere very well like myslf can tell u d majority of ppl livin dere are d Gbagyis. n if u say no any mordn gbagyi hauz dere, let me gv u an exampl of one. chrck out d only round hauz in Gbagyi villa n tell me who owns it

The fact is humans will always resist change and nigerians can be very stubborn

I don't have the full facts so I can't comment on this particular case

We have heard the OPs version , it is obvious he has a stake there. The government's version might provide a totally different account of the facts

When Ambode ordered the demolition of some market stalls in Oshodi , some people started shouting victimisation and ethnic cleansing , only for it to materialise that they had been given notice for over a year to vacate the market.

Land use planning is the responsibility of the government. I am not yet convinced that KASG will intentionally target a community. There is more to this

they should all relocate here enough Nd enough.

el-rufs is trying is best not to rob Any anyone. even on Government property.

k

No sympathy still.

The Midget has a low human reasoning capacity, suffering from stunted growth and necrosis, highly incapacitated in thoughts, having a penchant for destruction of life and properties, senseless, unsympathetic, devilish, useless, inane, devilish, an imp, good for nothing and above all very silly.
I pray for kaduna my nysc state to endure till the maalu ends his regime before his time!

Hmmmmm

Verify the status of a land before buying!

If he demolishes that area,is there any urgent project that will take over that parcel?

Interviewer: sir can you please tell us one thing you love doing that gives you joy?


Hell rufai: making people homeless.

DaBullIT:
I think there would be relocation / reimbursement plan


If not , I support they defend their community anyhow they deem fit

You people keep saying relocation, where govt wan relocate dem go?

Ok o

Atimes I hate when we put sentiments into everything,Nigeria will not get anywhere with sentiments....Go to China and North Korea,they are gaining grounds because they have strict laws and once you go against it,you are gone....from your 1st or 2nd paragraph,you stated clearly who owned the land which is the govt,then later came up with the land was there and no one acquired it...that's bull shit...is it not the same corrupt judges we have?offer them millions and they twist cases....if you acquire govt property,guy sooner or later they will come for it...QED