Six communities in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against alleged illegal demolitions, forced evictions, and human rights violations carried out under the orders of the Commander of the Infantry Corps Centre (ICC), Jaji, Major General Usman Abdulmumin Yusuf.

 

The affected communities include Mallam Auta, Ungwan Yohanna, Ungwan Aboki, Sabon Ungwan Loya, Ungwan Railway, and Ungwan Alhassan. Residents, supported by members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kaduna State chapter, marched to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kaduna to present their grievances.

 

Protesters carried placards demanding respect for court rulings, insisting that the military was not above the law.

 

Chairman of the NBA Kaduna Branch, Baba Lawal Aliyu, condemned the demolitions of ancestral homes and farmlands, as well as alleged arbitrary arrests without warrants. He revealed that on August 15, Ungwan Aboki was demolished under military guard at night, leaving hundreds of families, including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, homeless. He added that Hayin Mallam Auta had been marked for imminent demolition, despite subsisting court injunctions.

 

Aliyu stressed that the Kaduna State High Court, in rulings between 2018 and 2021, had ordered parties to maintain the status quo. He described the commander’s actions as contempt of court and a direct assault on Nigeria’s democracy.

 

Quoting the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986), Aliyu reminded authorities that no government agency,military or civilian,is above the law.

 

The protesters demanded an immediate halt to demolitions, the release of detained residents, and urgent intervention from the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government, civil society, and the international community.

 

Aliyu assured the communities of the NBA’s continued support, declaring: “Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum,let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

 

In response, Major General Yusuf defended the military’s actions, insisting that illegal settlements within Jaji Cantonment posed security risks and hindered training exercises. He maintained that no lawful homes were affected, adding that the Army was engaging the Kaduna State Government on relocating affected residents.