Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, January 05, 2021
KADUNA, Nigeria – The Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency(KASUPDA) has offered a new reason for demolishing Asher Restaurant under guise that the restaurant was to be used to host the infamous maiden Kaduna Sex Party.
In a new statement dated January 5, 2021, Ismail Umaru Dikko, Director General, KASUPDA described the initial reason the agency gave for the demolition of Asher Restaurant as inaccurate but that it does not regret the action taken on the property.
The agency had said it demolished the structure because it was to be used to host the maiden Kaduna Sex Party and that sex party is partly responsible for insecurity in Kaduna.
But in the new statement, Ismail Umaru Dikko said the event was allegedly to be held in the property in violation of COVID-19 regulation.
“Since March 26, 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 a second wave of COVID-19 infection.
“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. Checks of government records show showed that the building housing Asher Lounge has neither a valid title nor development permit. 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 element who had planned and advertised an unlawful gathering on those premises”, he said, adding that similar punishment has been meted out to a school that also violated the COVID-19 regulation.
However, KASUPDA will have to provide evidence that the event was to be held at Asher Restaurant and not just conjecture, since Mrs. Aisha Mercy Yakubu, owner of Asher Kings and Queens Restaurant has promised to seek redress in the court for loss of one month pregnancy and properties.
