The Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned the Nigerian Navy’s classification of retired naval officer and legal practitioner, Vice Admiral Dada Labinjo (rtd.), as a deserter. The NBA described the move as false, baseless, and in outright contempt of a subsisting court judgment.
On September 3, 2025, at approximately 14:25 hours, the Nigerian Navy issued a signal addressed to all formations, declaring Captain DO Labinjo (Service No. NN0408) and Lt Cdr SA Ibe-Lamberts (NN0840F) as deserters, directing that they be apprehended if found.
However, the NBA, through its chairman Uchenna Akingbade, swiftly responded with a public statement demanding the Navy immediately retract the signal. The legal body emphasized that the declaration blatantly violates a court ruling delivered by the National Industrial Court on March 24, 2025.
According to the NBA, the National Industrial Court, presided over by Justice I. Nweneka, had in unequivocal terms affirmed that Labinjo was neither absent without leave nor still in active service as of April 12, 2017. The court judgment noted:
- Paragraph 42: The claimant was not absent without official leave.
- Paragraphs 48–49: The claimant had reached the statutory age of 60 and 35 years in service and must retire immediately after reinstatement.
- Paragraphs 50–51: The Navy’s argument to retain him beyond that date was rejected.
- Paragraph 52: The claimant was declared a retired Vice Admiral effective April 11, 2017.
Despite this clear ruling, the Navy issued the signal months after the court judgment, labeling him a deserter retroactively from December 2, 2019 — a move the NBA views as a grave overreach and a direct affront to judicial authority.
The NBA Lagos branch warned that law enforcement institutions must remain law-abiding and uphold the sanctity of court judgments. It urged the Nigerian Navy to explore legal channels if dissatisfied with the ruling, rather than resorting to arbitrary and unlawful signals.
“The authority of the court cannot be undermined by unlawful signals or arbitrary actions from the Nigerian Navy,” the NBA declared.
