A Kano-based manufacturing company, A.B. Janruwa Enterprises, has accused the Kano State Government of commencing the takeover of its over four-hectare land in Chalawa Industrial Area without prior notice. The company warned that the move could jeopardise a planned multi-billion-naira expansion project of its factory expected to create more than 2,000 jobs.
The company, which produces various types of yarn and tailoring materials, said it discovered that government contractors had begun fencing off the land earmarked for its expansion project despite what it described as the absence of any formal notification or compensation process.
The state, however, said the company, alongside all others whose lands were acquired, will be duly compensated.
Speaking to journalists in Kano, the company's manager, Abdullahi Hashim, said the land, located near its existing factory in Kirimbu, Chalawa, was acquired over several years from local farmers for the purpose of building a large- scale manufacturing facility. Hashim said the company later learnt that the land had been included in a proposed industrial layout to be done by the state linked to the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline development corridor.
Also speaking, the company's legal representative, Umar Ahmad Umar, said the company was never served with a revocation notice as required by law and only became aware of the development after physical activities commenced on the land.
When contacted, the Kano State Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning said all lands affected by the takeover will be duly compensated, urging the company to remain calm. Director Public Enlightenment of the ministry, Murtala Shehu, ruled out that the lands will be forcefully taken over, saying the project is for the betterment of the economic prosperity of the state. 'We are appealing for calm; no land will be taken over without proper compensation,' Shehu added.