Justice Mu’azu Abubakar of High Court No. 5 in Bauchi has issued an interim injunction, restraining the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) from evicting residents of 270 housing units of the National Housing Programme (NHP) in Bauchi State.
The court, in Suit No. BA/158M/2025, ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive motion.
Plaintiffs in the case, Mukhtar Aminu, Ya’u Aliyu, Abubakar Muhammad, Ibrahim Musa, Abdulrahman Haruna, and 183 others, had dragged the federal government to court over the decision to hand over the estate to the NAF.
The applicants argued that the houses were originally built to support low-income earners and should not be allocated to the Air Force, which already has its own housing schemes.
They accused the government of sidelining ordinary Nigerians who had earlier expressed interest in the scheme.
Respondents in the case include the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Special Operations Command, Bauchi, the Chief of Staff of the Command HQ, Bauchi, the Commander of the Command HQ Bauchi, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
LEADERSHIP had reported that the federal government on Wednesday officially handed over the housing units to the Nigerian Air Force, despite residents’ protest.
In the interim order, Justice Abubakar stated, “An interim order of injunction is hereby made restraining the respondents, whether by themselves, agents, privies, or cohorts, from further threat, harassment, or doing anything that is likely to breach the applicants’ constitution right under chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The Court directed the 1st – 5th respondents to maintain status quo or stay all action pending determination of the motion on notice.
The court has adjourned the case to September 11, 2025, for further hearing.
