The Borno State Government has ordered the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) to demolish the historic Premier Cinema building which was accommodating Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) office located along Dandal Way Maiduguri.

The demolition, which was conducted Sunday morning, was under tight security provided by the armed policemen stationed at strategic positions on the orders of the State Commissioner of Police, CP Damian Chukwu, according to one of the police officers (name withheld).

This followed a feud between the APC ruling party and the opposition party PDP two days ago when the PDP rented the building from the landlord, Umar Adam Kolo, son of late Umar Ali, who inherited the said property from his equally late father.

Investigation revealed that the building was initially the property of the Native Authority (NA) before it was handed over to the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and later sold out to a business mogul, Alhaji Umar Ali, who is now late.

The said property had been on rent by the state-ruling party for decades, including APC, ANPP and APC but recently, the owner of the building, who is also a politician and a decampee PDP member to ANPP and APC, decided to return to his former political party PDP rented the said property building to PDP, which was painting the building with PDP logo and flag when policemen stormed the premises and ordered the workers to stop work.

This created a scene and the two warring parties were moved to the police headquarters for dialogue and possible reconciliation by CP Damian Chukwu, where the owner of the building was asked to sell the structure to the State Government but he declined.

Later on Sunday morning, BOSEPA Sole Administrator, Alhaji Nasiru Surundi, reportedly acting on the orders of Governor Kashim Shettima, instructed that the building should be demolished, and the directive was promptly carried out.

•Sourced from Blueprint.

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