Jaji Communities Sue Military Over Move To Displace 400,000 Residents

Host communities of Jaji Military Cantonment in Kaduna State, have dragged the military authorities to the Kaduna State High Court over alleged encroachment on their ancestral lands and harassment by the men and officers of the cantonment.

The communities, claimed that the land acquired by the military in 1976 had clear boundaries, but the military has since exceeded the boundaries and are encroaching into the communities to displace about 400,000 people.

The case which came up at the Kaduna State High Court 1 yesterday, was however adjourned to December 8, for either hearing or report of out of court settlement.

Addressing journalists after the court session, counsel to the communities, which include; Ungwan Auta, Labar, and Ungwan Alhassan, Wusono among others, Joshua Kure said the matter was coming to the court for the second time, due to the violation of the court order by the military.

Kure explained that when the matter was first brought to court, the military opted for ‘out of court settlement’ and a committee was set up to that effect at the Kaduna Government House, but the military in flagrant disobedience of the court order started fencing the community into the Cantonment while the settlement was ongoing.

Kure said: “So, we came back to the court today and we told the court that, our fear is that the military will not do justice in the matter, rather in total disobedience of the court order, they are trying to take ownership of the land by force. We informed the court that we are ready to proceed with the hearing of the case.

“Even if the military really wants settlement, the plaintiffs are no longer ready to go into their domain, because of what they usually do, threatening, harassing the plaintiffs. Let them come back to the Government House, so that we can resolve the issue there.

“For now, we are back to court and the court has given order to a delegate to go and see whether the military are carrying out the fencing or not, because the court had earlier ordered the military to stop the act of fencing and the act of harassing the plaintiffs.

“The court has adjourned the matter for 8th December for either report of settlement and or ruling. And the second case was adjourned to February 24 for continuation of hearing.

“Our prayers are that; the government has the right to take over land, but in doing so, certain procedures are provided that the communities need to be settled, compensation paid to them, not just compensation, but adequate compensation. So, if the military wants to take over these communities’ lands for whatever reason best known to them, the military should follow the due process of the law, not just to come and use force,” he said.

One of the leaders of the affected communities, Ibrahim Aliyu Wusono said members of the communities have come under constant attacks and harassment by men of the Jaji Military Cantonment.

Wusono said the military against the court order started fencing their communities’ lands into their cantonment last week, adding that the said land is their ancestral land where the communities have lived for about 300 years, while the military acquired the cantonment land in 1976.

Meanwhile, counsel to the military whose name could not be gotten declined granting interviews to journalists, saying that, “I have been instructed not to grant media interviews because the matter is still in court.”