Drama in Sokoto as Court officials enforce eviction order over Bazza property

A year-long legal battle over a residential property located along Waziri Maccido Road in the Bazza Area of Sokoto State came to a dramatic end on Saturday, May 23, 2026, when court enforcement officials, backed by security operatives, executed an eviction order against the occupant, Hajiya Balkisu Ibrahim Bazza.

The eviction followed the final judgment of the Sokoto State Rent Tribunal in Suit No. SSRT/116/2025, which declared Alhaji Junaidu Usman Junaidu as the rightful person entitled to immediate possession of the property.

The dispute, which attracted public attention in Sokoto due to its prolonged legal twists and emotional family undertones, stemmed from ownership claims over the property originally inherited by Hon. Umar Bature from his late father.

Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that Hon. Bature later sold the house to Alhaji Ya’u Umar. However, because Ya’u was not resident in Sokoto, he permitted his mother-in-law, Hajiya Balkisu, to occupy the property while reserving a room within the premises for his personal use whenever he visited the state.

Trouble reportedly began after Alhaji Ya’u decided to sell the property to Alhaji Junaidu Usman Junaidu. Following the purchase, Junaidu, through his counsel, Umar Aminu, Esq. of A. Umar & Co., issued Hajiya Balkisu a statutory seven-day notice to quit through a formal letter dated March 9, 2025.

Despite the notice, Hajiya Balkisu allegedly refused to vacate the premises, prompting Junaidu’s legal team, Brave Hearts Attorneys, to institute legal proceedings before the Sokoto State Rent Tribunal on May 24, 2025, seeking an order for ejection and recovery of possession.

As the tribunal matter progressed, the dispute expanded into the Sharia court system in what observers described as an attempt by the defendant to establish ownership rights through alternative legal claims.

In the first suit, marked CV/083/2025 before the City Lower Sharia Court, Sokoto, Hajiya Balkisu claimed that Alhaji Ya’u Umar had gifted the property to her as a Hiba under Islamic law. However, after reviewing the matter, the court struck out the case.

Undeterred by the setback, she filed another suit, CV/153/2025, titled Hajiya Balkisu Ibrahim Bazza versus Alhaji Ya’u A. Umar, this time arguing that Ya’u had gifted her money which she subsequently used to purchase the property herself. That suit was equally struck out by the court.

Following months of legal proceedings, the Sokoto State Rent Tribunal eventually ruled in favour of Alhaji Junaidu Usman Junaidu, granting him possession of the property.

The tribunal chairman signed the final eviction order on May 22, 2026.
Court officials moved to enforce the judgment the following day after the defendant allegedly failed to comply voluntarily with the order.

Eyewitnesses said the execution exercise nearly degenerated into chaos as tensions rose at the property during the operation.

According to accounts gathered by Buhari Umar Bazza, a legal practitioner, Mr. A. M. Jariri, Esq., arrived at the premises during the enforcement process. Court officials reportedly briefed him on the tribunal judgment, the history of the litigation, and the legal basis for the eviction.

However, after consultations with occupants inside the building, resistance intensified. Hajiya Balkisu and some of her daughters allegedly locked themselves inside the apartment and threatened to resist the eviction.
Concerned about the escalating tension, the court bailiffs reportedly called for reinforcement.

The intervention of female police officers alongside personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) eventually helped to calm the situation and facilitate the enforcement of the tribunal order.

After several tense moments, the occupants were successfully evicted from the property, allowing Alhaji Junaidu to take full possession of the house.

The development effectively brings to a close a prolonged and emotionally charged dispute that traversed multiple courts within Sokoto State and highlighted the complexities surrounding family property arrangements, tenancy rights, and competing ownership claims.