The Kano State Government has allocated 75 shops to traders affected by the June 2023 demolition at the Kofar Mata Eid prayer ground, according to Auwal Sa'id Umar, chairman of the Association of Shop Owners at the ground. The allocation represents 25 per cent of the land earmarked for the affected traders, Umar said during a prayer gathering on Saturday. He credited the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf with pushing for the shops to be provided to the displaced merchants.
Umar expressed gratitude for the intervention but said many affected traders lack the financial resources to construct shops and restart their businesses. He noted that some traders have died since the demolition, leaving their families in difficult circumstances, and appealed to the governor for additional assistance beyond the shop allocation.
The 2023 demolition was part of the state government's wider effort to remove structures considered illegal in Kano. The exercise drew complaints from traders who later took legal action, and in September 2023 a Federal High Court in Kano ordered the state government to pay 30 billion naira in compensation to the shop owners.
During the prayer gathering, which marked the completion of 111 Quranic recitations offered in appreciation for the emir and governor's support, Umar pledged the traders' backing for Yusuf ahead of the 2027 governorship election.