Pulse.ng : No civilian houses demolished in Jail Military Cantonment

The Commander Infantry Corps, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Usman Yusuf has dispelled rumours being peddled in the social media of civilian houses purportedly demolished in Jaji Military Cantonment.

The News Agency of NIgeria (NAN) reports that the Commander took journalists to the area where the alleged demolition was falsely circulated to have been carried out.

The civilian settlements within the Cantonment include Railway, Unguwan Loya, Unguwan Aboki, Unguwan Alhaji and Unguwan Alasan, among others.

Yusuf said those pushing the fake narrative claimed that the demolition took place in Igabi local government area, where the cantonment is located.

He dismissed the reports as "gross mischief", adding that the issue of the settlements within the Cantonment has been of great concern to the military because of the high rate of criminal activities in the communities.

He said they were ready to give permission to the social media handlers posting the fake news, the opportunity to also visit all the communities within the Cantonment, which have today become security risks to all personnel in the military institution.

"When the military moved to remove them, they went to court and the court gave a stay action order on both parties. While the army respected it, these communities have continued to build and expand their footprints on army land.

"And as of today between the time that court order was given and today, the communities have quadrupled in size and they've occupied all our training areas.

"This is giving us serious problem, because we find it difficult to conduct training within the cantonment because we don't want to destroy their crops.

"We cannot continue to live like this in the light of recent security challenges that are emanating within these communities, ranging from drugs, kidnapping activities, including murder," Yusuf said.

The Commander recalled that three years ago, a senior officer was killed and the body dumped in a well in Angwan Loya, one of the illegal settlements within the Cantonment.

"Some years back a vehicle came in here went into those communities and was rigged with bombs that also exploded in the community.

"The scope and size of crimes has been increasing and it is in our own interest and national interest that these communities leave this environment immediately.

"I 'm happy you went around. You have seen the true situation. It's like saying you have a house or built a house, then the people who worked for you, while building, after they finish, they stay in your courtyard and erect their own buildings.

"Then the next day they tell you that that's not part of your house. That's the situation we are facing. These people were initially railway workers who worked for the building of the railway across the cantonment. There was, at that time, no need to drive them out immediately.

"As we faced other issues, they've expanded in size and scope.

"There is no truth to the claim. There is no any truth that the land belongs to them.

We have made our own findings, we've gone into these communities, there are no papers to show that it's their land," he said.

Yusuf challenged members of the communities to tender any official document to show that they own any part of the land within the Cantonment.

"All they tell you is that they inherited this house and that house from their fathers and grandfathers."

He urged journalists on the assessment tour to be dispassionate in their reports.

"You have seen their exact location, so you can make an assessment on your own, whether this constitutes an independent community in the middle of the barracks. There's no truth to their claims."

Yusuf also challenged those who posted the initial false narrative to take a tour to those communities.

"Unfortunately, this is the downside of social media, but we'll continue to tell Nigerians the truth as it is.

"Anybody who wants to see what is happening should come to the ground, we will not deny you access to Jaji cantonment. Come and see for yourself if this is a legitimate community or an illegitimate community."

The Commander highlighted the security implications of allowing the communities to keep staying within the Cantonment.

"It is far-reaching. This is the biggest training institution of the Nigerian Army, where we have the School of Infantry.

"Most of our pre-deployment training for all operations are conducted here. So can you imagine that we have terrorists and informants residing here and they are watching our training, especially now that people have phones, they can even record what they are seeing, stay somewhere, record everything," he said.

He said once "the adversary knows how we train they will prepare for us.More assets are coming into the cantonment and the continued stay of these criminals is also a serious security risk to these assets".

He said the Nigerian army is for every citizen of Nigeria, established to defend the country and its people, "and we'll continue to do so.

"Those who do negative reporting on the Nigerian army, I'm not sure they know the ill they are doing to themselves and to the nation, because eventually, whatever negative reporting you do about your country and your army, will bite you at the end of the day.

"These are the same citizens who travel out of Nigeria and when they are maltreated at international ports, they claim that the green passport is not respected, they forget that it's as a result of what they have posted online."

He urge all those he termed as "online warriors" doing a lot of funny reporting to feel free to ascertain the truth directly instead of posting out falsehoods.

"We'll take them around, let them see the facts for themselves."

"The army is working with the state government and other stakeholders to relocate the communities to a new location.

"This would be a patriotic move, helping to safeguard the country and ensure national security," Yusuf said.

Meanwhile, the commander said as part of the Nigerian Army civic responsibility, the cantonment has been providing free medical services to its host communities, built schools and other infrastructure.

NAN report that the Jaji Military Cantonment serves as a critical hub for the Nigerian Armed Forces, housing prestigious institutions such as the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Headquarters Infantry Corps Center, Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, the Warrant Officers' Academy and Nigeria Army School of Infantry.