A COURT DIRECTS THE NIGERIAN ARMY TO GRANT ACCESS TO FARMLANDS TO JAJI HOST COMMUNITIES.

The Nigerian Army must provide the host communities of the Jaji Military Cantonment access to their farms, the Kaduna State High Court ruled on Thursday.

The army was also ordered by the judge, Hannatu Balogun, to cover the N1,000 payment for each of the 260 community members. She gave the army till July 10 to provide payment documentation.

Kimi Livingston, the plaintiffs’ attorney, filed a contempt lawsuit against the Nigerian Army’s General Officer Commanding 1 Division and a few other senior commanders.

They claimed that the army disobeyed the court’s ruling, which halted the construction of a barrier to surround the Jaji barracks.

Additionally, they claimed that the plaintiffs were denied access to their farms, villages, and communities while the lawsuit was pending by the army.

The respondents did not appear in court but did send a letter claiming that the officials occupying the offices had been relocated.

The letter was rejected by the judge.

Aliyu Ibrahim, the defendant’s attorney, promised the court that he would make sure the cops were present in person by July 10th.

Additionally, he refuted claims that he prevented local residents from accessing their farmlands.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Jaji Military Cantonment’s host communities filed a lawsuit against the military at the state high court in November 2020 over alleged encroachment on their ancestral property.

There were some community representatives present in court, including Wusono, Ungwan Auta, Labar, and Ungwan Alhassan. They said that while the settlement was still going on, the military had begun to fence the town inside the cantonment.

(NAN)