The Kaduna State High Court has issued a ruling ordering the Nigerian Army to pay a total sum of N260,000 as compensation to the host communities of Jaji Military Cantonment.
Justice Hannatu Balogun directed the army to pay each of the 260 members of the communities the sum of N1,000 as costs. Additionally, the military is required to present evidence of payment by July 10.
Furthermore, Judge Balogun ordered the army to grant members of the affected communities access to their farmlands.
The legal action against the Nigerian Army was initiated by the Plaintiffs’ Counsel, Kimi Livingston, who filed contempt proceedings against the General Officer Commanding, 1Division, and several senior officers.
The plaintiffs alleged that the army had disregarded a court order which prohibited the construction of a perimeter fence around the Jaji barracks.
They also accused the military of preventing them from accessing their farmlands, villages, and communities during the ongoing court case.
However, the respondents did not appear in court, instead sending a letter stating that the relevant officers had been transferred to other locations.
Justice Balogun refused to accept the letter and reiterated the necessity for the officers to personally appear in court by July 10.
In defense of the Nigerian Army, counsel Aliyu Ibrahim assured the court that he would ensure the officers’ presence in court on the specified date. He also refuted the allegations of blocking communities’ access to their farmlands.
The host communities within the Jaji Military Cantonment took legal action against the military in November 2020, citing the alleged encroachment of their ancestral lands.
The affected communities, comprising Wusono, Ungwan Auta, Labar, and Ungwan Alhassan, brought the case to court after the military began fencing the community into the cantonment while their settlement was ongoing.
NAN
