Police Families Accuse Sokoto Commissioner of Forcefully Demolishing Their Homes

By Badamasi Bello

Families and wives of serving and retired police officers residing along Kwantagora Road in the Gawon Nama area of Sokoto metropolis have accused the Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasuru Dantsoho, of forcefully taking over their homes and ordering them to vacate the properties.

The development reportedly escalated in the early hours of Sunday, September 6, 2026, when residents woke up to the demolition of their homes by a bulldozer allegedly sent by the commissioner.

Speaking to journalists, one of the affected residents, Shafa’atu Abubakar, alleged that the commissioner had forced them to vacate the properties despite their claim that the houses belong to the Federal Government and were allocated to serving and retired police personnel.

She said their husbands, many of whom are deployed to areas affected by insecurity and are risking their lives to protect the country, were now being subjected to further hardship as their families were allegedly being forcefully removed from the homes allocated to them.

Another affected resident, who identified herself simply as Hauwau, said her husband, a police officer, was killed by bandits in Illela Local Government Area a few months ago.

She alleged that the demolition of their house had further exposed her family to danger, particularly because the structure was brought down while they were asleep.

Hauwau appealed to the relevant authorities to intervene, saying the family had nowhere to go and was seeking justice over the development.

Also speaking, Hajiya Safiya Haliru, widow of the late Haliru Gwazo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Sokoto State, said she had lived in the house for 24 years, where her husband also died while serving the country.

She alleged that some unidentified persons had approached the residents and served them a two-week vacation order, directing them to vacate the properties.

Hajiya Safiya further alleged that the houses had been sold to a real estate company by the state Commissioner for Lands and Housing. She recalled that previous administrations that disposed of public houses had offered such properties to the people occupying them.

She also alleged that the commissioner had previously visited the area and threatened to demolish the structures if the residents failed to vacate them.

A visit to the area showed that several residential fences had been demolished, leaving the occupants exposed to the public. Court orders were also seen pasted on the gates of some of the affected properties.

However, efforts to obtain the reaction of the Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasuru Dantsoho, were unsuccessful, as he had not responded to text messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.