NBA, Kaduna Communities Protest Demolition, Disregard For Court Orders

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kaduna Branch, yesterday led residents of six communities in Igabi local government area in a peaceful protest against what they described as illegal demolitions, human rights violations and disregard for subsisting court orders by the military authorities.

The protest, which was held in Kaduna, was directed against the commander of the Infantry Corps Centre (ICC), Jaji, Major General Usman Abdulmumin Yusuf, whom the NBA accused of overseeing the demolition of ancestral homes and the unlawful eviction of residents.

The communities affected include Mallam Auta, Ungwan Yohanna, Ungwan Aboki, Sabon Ungwan Loya, Ungwan Railway, and Ungwan Alhassan.

The protestors, accompanied by NBA members, marched to the Kaduna State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), where they aired their grievances.

Chairman of the NBA Kaduna Branch, Baba Lawal Aliyu, expressed dismay over the alleged arbitrary demolitions, arrests without warrants, and military encroachment on lands under judicial protection.

He particularly condemned the August 15 demolition of Ungwan Aboki, reportedly carried out under military guard at night, which, he said, rendered hundreds of residents—including women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities—homeless.

Aliyu noted that despite a series of court injunctions issued by the Kaduna State High Court between 2018 and 2021 ordering all parties to maintain status quo, the demolitions continued unabated.

Describing the situation as a grave affront to the rule of law, he referenced the Supreme Court judgment in Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986), stating that no institution—military or civilian—is above the law. “The commander’s actions constitute contempt of court and a direct attack on Nigeria’s constitutional democracy,” he said.

The NBA called for an immediate halt to further demolitions, particularly in Hayin Mallam Auta, and demanded the release of individuals allegedly arrested without due process. The association also urged the Federal and Kaduna State Governments, civil society organisations, and international partners to intervene promptly.

Aliyu reaffirmed the NBA’s commitment to defending the rights of affected communities. “Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum—Let justice be done though the heavens fall,” he declared.

However, in an earlier reaction, the Commander of the Infantry Corps Centre, Major General Yusuf, defended the Army’s actions, insisting that the affected communities were unlawfully occupying land within the Jaji Military Cantonment—a zone critical to national security and military operations.

He stated that the Army was working with the Kaduna State Government to relocate those impacted and maintained that only illegal structures were targeted, with no lawful residences demolished.