By Chimezie Enyiocha

The Kaduna State Government has commenced the eviction of people living ‘illegally’ in government-owned houses as part of its housing policy.

The State’s Head of Service, Mrs Bariatu Mohammed, told Channels Television that those being evicted from the government-owned residential houses were legal occupants who were served with eviction notices since after the sale of the properties since 2018, but have refused to vacate from such facilities.

According to her, part of the process entailed that the highest bid price was offered to the eligible public servants in the occupation of the houses to exercise the Right of First Refusal by effecting payment of 10 percent non-refundable deposit within 14 days, while each applicant was entitled to purchase only one residential unit.

Following the conclusion of the allocation of houses to eligible bidders, the Task Force set up by the state government within the week embarked on the eviction of those they termed as illegal occupants from their houses.

Reacting, some of those affected by the exercise kicked against the action which they described as a gross violation of their rights to the first refusal.

One of them, Linda Kuswan, told Channels Television through her lawyer, Jonathan Adamu that no vacation notice was served on her by the government.

She claimed to have obtained a court judgment from the Kaduna State High court which ordered the state government or its officials from evicting her from the House which she legally occupied many years ago.

Having obtained a court judgment dated August 7, 2020, on violation of her rights and to stop the government from evicting her from the house, she asked the state government to obey the court order by restoring her back to the house and to also give her the right of first refusal. (Channels TV)