The Kaduna branch of the Nigerian Bar Association on Tuesday led residents of six communities in Igabi Local Government Area on a peaceful protest against what they described as “illegal demolitions, human rights violations, and brazen disobedience of subsisting court orders” by the Commander of the Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji, Maj. Gen. Usman Yusuf.
The affected communities include Mallam Auta, Ungwan Yohanna, Ungwan Aboki, Sabon Ungwan Loya, Ungwan Railway, and Ungwan Alhassan within the Igabi axis of the state.
The protesters, comprising men, women, children, and the elderly, marched alongside lawyers from the NBA to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna, where they publicly aired their grievances.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Obey Court Orders Now,” “Military is Not Above the Law,” and “Stop Illegal Demolitions in Igabi.”
They also chanted slogans calling for the protection of their ancestral homes and farmlands.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of NBA Kaduna Branch, Lawal Aliyu, said the association was deeply disturbed by the demolitions of ancestral homes and farmlands, arbitrary arrests without warrants, and forced evictions in Igabi, allegedly carried out under military supervision despite subsisting court injunctions.
Aliyu alleged that, on August 15, the community of Ungwan Aboki was demolished “under the cover of darkness” by personnel of the Infantry Corps Centre, leaving hundreds of families homeless.
“Women, children, the elderly, and even persons with disabilities were thrown into the open without shelter. This is a gross violation of their rights and dignity,” the chairman lamented.
He also noted that Mallam Auta had been marked for imminent demolition despite multiple court rulings prohibiting such actions.
“The High Court of Kaduna State, in several rulings between 2018 and 2021, ordered all parties to maintain the status quo. The commander’s deliberate disobedience of these injunctions is contempt of court and a dangerous affront to our constitutional democracy,” Aliyu said.
Citing a Supreme Court decision in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986), Aliyu held that no government agency, whether civilian or military, is above the law.
“This is a direct assault on the judiciary. It undermines the very foundation of our democracy,” he added.
The protesters demanded an immediate halt to planned demolitions, particularly in Hayin Mallam Auta. Also, they called for the release of persons allegedly arrested and detained without warrants during the exercises.
They urged both the Federal and Kaduna State Governments, as well as civil society organisations and the international community, to urgently intervene to prevent what they described as a looming humanitarian crisis.
“Continued defiance of judicial authority will not be tolerated,” he added.
Reacting earlier, the Commander of the Infantry Corps Centre, Maj-Gen Yusuf, defended the military’s actions, insisting that the settlements in question posed a direct threat to national security.
According to him, the ICC Jaji is a military training facility of strategic importance, and illegal communities, springing up within and around the cantonment, compromise the safety and effectiveness of military operations.
“The presence of unauthorised settlements within Jaji Cantonment constitutes a serious security threat and hampers training activities. National security imperatives guide our actions,” Yusuf said.
He explained that the Army had been engaging the Kaduna State Government to relocate affected communities and provide alternative settlements.
“No lawful houses were demolished. What was affected were illegal structures within the cantonment area. We are mindful of the plight of civilians, but we must balance that with overriding security concerns,” he maintained
The Punch
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