Sokoto State Government on Saturday demolished scores of illegal shops at Sokoto Central Motor Park.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was conducted by officials of the Ministry of Lands and Housing.

Some traders selling vehicle spare parts, whose shops were demolished, criticised the government for embarking on the exercise in spite interim injunction from the State High Court, asking it to stay action.

They described the action as “abuse of court order.”

The chairman, Spare Parts Dealers’ Association, Alhaji Bashir Umar, said, “we cannot quantify the losses as they ran into millions of Naira.”

He admitted that they were given one month notice by the government to vacate the motor park, but added that they had no other place to relocate to.

“We pleaded with the authorities to provide us with alternative place, but they did not heed our plea.

“Since they insisted on ejecting us, we rushed to the court and an interim order was given, restraining the government from taking any further action, pending the determination of their case, but to no avail.

“Some of us have been here for the past 30 years and we have not defaulted in paying our revenues to the government,” Umar said.

The chairman however promised that as law abiding citizens, they would not take law into their hands as the matter was still in court.

He urged members of the association not to take any action that could lead to breach of law and order.

When contacted, Alhaji Abdullahi Bafarawa, the Director-General, Sokoto Market, said the traders were illegally operating in the motor park.

He challenged them to produce any legal document permitting them to operate shops in the motor park.

Bafarawa accused the traders of involvement in `myriads of criminal activities’ in the motor park, adding that that was another reason why they were evicted.

He debunked claims that the government was served with court order restraining it from taking the action.

•Text courtesy of NAN. Photo shows Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal.

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