Judge Orders Status Quo as Bauchi Residents Battle Air Force Takeover of NHP Estate

By Beatrice Gondyi, Bauchi

A Bauchi State High Court has granted an interim order restraining the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from evicting residents of the 270 housing units of the National Housing Programme (NHP) along Ningi Road, Bauchi.

The order followed Suit No. BA/158N/2025 filed by 188 applicants, representing residents of the estate, who approached the court after Air Force personnel attempted to forcefully take over the property on Wednesday.

The estate, built in 2016 under the National Housing Programme initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari, was originally intended to provide affordable accommodation for civil servants and low- to middle-income earners. However, the Federal Ministry of Housing recently announced that the facility had been officially handed over to the Nigerian Air Force, triggering resistance from the current occupants.

Residents, who claim to have filled Expression of Interest (EOI) forms years ago, say they were shocked when soldiers entered the estate and ordered them to vacate, despite many having lived there for up to six years. In response, they turned to the courts, seeking protection of their rights.

Ruling on the matter, the presiding judge, Justice Muazu Abubakar, issued an interim injunction restraining the defendants from threatening, harassing, or infringing on the constitutional rights of the residents under Chapter 5 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

Justice Abubakar further ordered all parties to maintain the status quo until the determination of the substantive motion, and adjourned the case to September 11, 2025.

Speaking to journalists after the restraining order was obtained, Barrister Alkassim Muhammad, confirmed that the five defendants in the suit had been duly served with the motion on notice.

For now, the order provides temporary relief to the embattled residents, who insist that the estate should serve its original purpose of housing ordinary Nigerians rather than being transferred to a military institution.