Court Orders NDA TO Reinstate Nine Cadets

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna State has ordered the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) to reinstate nine cadets “unlawfully” dismissed in 2019.

The appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by the NDA challenging the earlier judgment issued by the Federal High Court in Kaduna on May 18, 2023, which ordered the reinstatement of the dismissed cadets and the payment of all their entitlements since 2019.

The Federal High Court had, in its decision, held that the petition filed by the parent of the dismissed cadets was meritorious.

The appellate court upheld the High Court’s decision, which mandated the NDA to award them their degree certificates, recognising their completion of studies and participation in the academy’s convocation and the 67th Passing Out Parade on October 5, 2019.

In a similar development, the House of Representatives had previously considered a petition from Mohammed Ibrahim and 53 others regarding the unlawful dismissal of the cadets.

The House, on February 24, 2021, urged the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff to instruct the NDA’s commandant to reinstate the 15 cadet officers who had completed their courses but were wrongfully dismissed.

Delivering the judgment on Wednesday on behalf of the three-member panel of the court, Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi stated that “it is hereby ordered that there is no merit in the appeal. It fails and is hereby dismissed.

“The decision of the lower court delivered on 18/5/2023 is hereby affirmed. The 19th Respondents are entitled to costs, which are assessed at N300,000 against the Appellants.”

Counsel for the parents of the dismissed cadets, Asabe Ahmed, expressed her appreciation to the Appeal Court for upholding the Federal High Court’s judgment.

“We call on the NDA to comply with the judgment by reinstating the dismissed cadets and paying them all their entitlements according to the court order,” she stated, emphasising the union’s commitment to ensuring compliance.

Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Daura, the Maradin Daura of Katsina State and a representative of the parents who spoke to journalists on the ruling, appealed to the NDA to follow the court’s decision and reinstate their children, who have been idle for more than six years.

“Let President Bola Tinubu and the leaders in the military, especially the Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Staff, consider what both court judgments have stated and ensure that justice is served for these children.

“We have already won them in the National Assembly; we went to the Federal High Court, and they gave the same verdict. They were the ones who went to appeal the judgment at the Appeal Court, and their appeal was dismissed on the basis of lack of merit. The judgment is clear.”

“We plead with them to abide by the law of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These children, up until now, do not have degrees or any recognition. They are just waiting, and it is a pity. They have suffered enough; they should be allowed to go back and continue their service,” he said.

Court Orders NDA TO Reinstate Nine Cadets is first published on The Whistler Newspaper