The Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency
(KASUPDA) has shed more light on why Asher Kings and Queens Restaurant in
Barnawa area of the state, was demolished.
The lounge was pulled down on Thursday over allegations of
immoral act.
The agency had alleged that the hotel was the proposed venue
for a sex party — but a flyer attached to the tweet had no detail of the
proposed location for the party.
Aisha Yakubu, chief executive officer (CEO) of the restaurant, said there was no planned sex party at her restaurant.
Yakubu said her business was registered at the Corporate
Affairs Commission (CAC) as a restaurant and an event centre — not a hotel,
adding that she would seek redress over the demolition.
However, while briefing journalists on Tuesday, Ismail
Umaru-Dikko, director-general of the agency, said an inaccurate statement on
the Twitter account of the agency sparked different reactions over the
demolition.
He said indications of the plan to hold an activity that
violates the COVID-19 regulations in the restaurant drew attention to the
property, making it necessary to check the building status.
The DG said checks of government record revealed that the
building housing the restaurant had neither a valid title nor a development
permit.
He said the illegal status of the building also necessitated
the enforcement action that was carried out by the agency.
“On Thursday, 31st December 2020, the Kaduna State Urban
Development and Planning Authority took action to remove the building housing
Asher Lounge,” Umaru-Dikko said.
“Since this enforcement action, much of the commentary on
the matter has centred on the inaccurate statement from KASUPDA’s Twitter
account.
“While regretting the inaccuracy of the handler of our
social media account, there is no reservation about the steps taken pursuant to
enforce the laws and regulations of Kaduna State on a property that was in
violation of its provisions.
“Since 26th March 2020, the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Partial Lockdown Order, 2020 have been in force in Kaduna State. Although some
of the regulations were significantly relaxed in June 2020, they were tightened
again in December 2020 in response to the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
“Indications that an activity in violation of the Covid
regulations was planned to be held in Asher Lounge drew attention to the
property and made it necessary to examine the status of the building.
“Once due diligence revealed the illegal status of the
building, there was need for enforcement action without the notification
requirements that the law compels for holders of valid title and development
permits.
“The illegal status of the building became a very separate matter from the trigger event: the third-party elements who had planned and advertised an unlawful gathering on those premises.”
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Wao, so you can wake up, move into a person’s property for whatever reason, and destroy same, without giving the person the opportunity of stating his or her own side of the story? This is clearly a breach of the person’s right to fair hearing as entrenched in the constitution of Nigeria!
ReplyDeleteI think His excellency the Governor of Kaduna State should be brave enough to come out and admit the government error and apologise to the owner of that building, instead of making contradictory statements that tend to mock his intelligence and integrity!
they mock the intelligence and integrity of the people my brother...
Delete