NBA Kaduna, residents protest illegal demolition by military

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kaduna Branch, on Tuesday led a peaceful protest with residents of six communities in Igabi Local Government Area against alleged illegal demolitions and human rights violations by the military.

The protesters, drawn from Mallam Auta, Ungwan Yohanna, Ungwan Aboki, Sabon Ungwan Loya, Ungwan Railway, and Ungwan Alhassan, marched to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Kaduna, carrying placards and chanting that military authorities were not above the law.

NBA Kaduna Chairman, Baba Lawal Aliyu, condemned the demolition of ancestral homes and farmlands, alleged arbitrary arrests, and forced evictions despite subsisting court injunctions. He cited the August 15 demolition of Ungwan Aboki under military guard, which displaced hundreds of families, warning that Hayin Mallam Auta had also been marked for demolition in defiance of court orders.

Describing the actions as contempt of court and a threat to constitutional democracy, Aliyu recalled multiple High Court rulings between 2018 and 2021 ordering parties to maintain the status quo, as well as the Supreme Court judgment in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986), which affirmed that no authority is above the law.

The NBA called for an immediate halt to further demolitions, the release of those allegedly arrested without warrants, and intervention from government, civil society, and the international community.

Responding, Commander of the Infantry Corps Centre (ICC), Jaji, Major General Usman Abdulmumin Yusuf, defended the military, saying illegal communities within Jaji Cantonment posed security threats and hindered training.

He maintained that no lawful houses were demolished and that discussions with the Kaduna State government were ongoing to resettle affected residents.