The operation was reportedly ordered by the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Centre, Major General Usman Abdulmumeen Yusuf, in what community members have condemned as a flagrant violation of judicial authority.
Personnel of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Centre in Kaduna have been accused of forcibly demolishing residential structures in Ungwan Mallam Auta, Igabi Local Government Area, in a nighttime operation that reportedly defied a valid court order.
According to eyewitnesses and local residents, the incident occurred late Friday night, July 25, 2025, when army bulldozers stormed the community under the cover of darkness and flattened several homes, leaving scores of residents homeless and traumatised.
The demolition is the latest flashpoint in a long-running dispute between the Nigerian Army and the residents of several villages in the area, including Ungwan Yohanna, Ungwan Aboki, Sabon Ungwan Loya, Ungwan Railway, and Ungwan Alhassan. The military is allegedly seeking to forcibly take over the communities, a move the locals say threatens their ancestral heritage and livelihoods.
Violation Of Court Order
SaharaReporters learned that the operation was carried out despite an existing restraining order issued by a Kaduna State High Court, which prohibits the army from tampering with any structures in the affected communities pending the determination of the ongoing legal dispute.
Residents described the demolition as a blatant act of impunity and disregard for the rule of law.
“The soldiers came while we were fast asleep, without warning, and began tearing down our homes,” said one distraught resident. “People were left unconscious from the shock. Many narrowly escaped being crushed.”
The operation was reportedly ordered by the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Centre, Major General Usman Abdulmumeen Yusuf, in what community members have condemned as a flagrant violation of judicial authority.
Residents are now calling on the federal government, human rights organisations, and the judiciary to investigate the matter and hold those responsible accountable for what they described as a brutal assault on their rights and dignity.
Many individuals reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries during the incident, including elderly women who were seen in a video receiving treatment at local hospitals.
One of the residents who spoke to SaharaReporters said, “We were just sitting at night when, all of a sudden, the army arrived with their trucks and Hilux vehicles, fully armed. They began demolishing schools in Angwan Auta. They destroyed an Islamic school, a regular school, a mosque, and many other buildings.
“Most of the women and children had to sleep outside because there was nowhere to hide. They came in the dead of night when many people were already asleep.”
Reacting to the tragic incident, counsel to the affected communities, Dr. Kimi Livingstone Apah, expressed deep disappointment over the Nigerian Army’s decision to resort to self-help despite being served with valid court orders.
He revealed that Justice Balogun of the Kaduna State High Court had issued a restraining order in Suit No. KDH/KAD/328/2018, involving Alhaji Saminu Aminu and 266 others versus the Nigerian Army, prohibiting the military from taking any action on the disputed land pending the determination of the case.
Describing the army’s actions as reckless and unconstitutional, Apah condemned the demolition of an entire community in the dead of night as absurd and lawless.
He further described the military’s conduct as “wickedness of the highest order”. He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by directing the army’s leadership to cease all illegal operations and vacate the affected communities immediately.
According to him, the army’s actions reflect a disturbing disregard for the rule of law, democratic norms, and constituted authority.
“It is sad that in Nigeria, the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps Centre (ICC), Jaji, Kaduna State, Major General Usman Abdulmumeen Yusuf, today (Friday), sent officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army to Angwan Mallam Auta community in Jaji to demolish houses at night,” the lawyer said.
“This is a matter that is before a Kaduna State High Court. The presiding judge, Justice Balogun—now of the Court of Appeal—issued a restraining order against the Nigerian Army from demolishing any of the structures belonging to the defendants (the communities), since the matter is in court.”
He said, “But rather than for the Army to obey and wait for the outcome of the court, the Army decided to use self-help. The Commander sent his officers and men into the community in total disobedience to all lawful court orders.
“We have reported this matter to the Governor of Kaduna State. We have reported the matter to the DSS (Department of State Services). We also reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, and the General Officer Commanding (GOC).
“All these parties have reacted, including the Emir of Zauzau, but it appears that the entire civil authorities do not have the capacity and capability to call these lawless officers to order. It is now left for us to either call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to the rescue of these communities or call on God.”
He asked how the Nigerian Army descended so low and became a lawless institution, to the extent of destroying people’s properties in violation of a court order.
“We don’t know when the Nigerian Army became an institution of lawlessness—an institution that does not believe that laws are meant to govern the people,” the lawyer added.
The Nigerian Army recently blocked the main access road leading to the affected communities. It forcibly shut down all shops in the area in what residents described as an attempt to seize their farmlands.
The army also reportedly cut off the electricity supply to the villages, plunging them into darkness for several months. During this period, numerous residents were allegedly harassed, arbitrarily arrested, and detained without justification.
In response, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, residents staged a peaceful protest in Kaduna to press home their demands and call for the intervention of Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to obtain a response from the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Onyinyechi Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
