Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe, has strongly condemned the Nigerian Navy for what he described as a blatant disregard of judicial authority. In a statement issued on Friday, Akangbe expressed disappointment over the Navy’s declaration of Vice Admiral Dada Olaniyi Labinjo (Rtd) as a deserter, despite a subsisting judgment of the National Industrial Court in Suit No: NICN/LA/67/2023. He warned that such acts of defiance erode public trust in the justice system and threaten the stability of democratic governance.
Akangbe, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch, emphasized that no institution, whether military or civilian, is above the law. He called on Nigerians of goodwill to resist unlawful actions and uphold the sanctity of court judgments, stressing that obedience to judicial pronouncements remains the foundation of civility, justice, and the survival of democracy.
Read full statement below;
I express my deep sadness and displeasure at the Nigerian Navy’s unlawful declaration of Vice Admiral Dada Olaniyi Labinjo (Rtd) as a deserter, in blatant defiance of the National Industrial Court’s judgment in Suit No: NICN/LA/67/2023. Such disregard for judicial authority undermines the rule of law, weakens public trust in our institutions, and risks plunging our society into anarchy.
No institution—military or otherwise—stands above the law. Court judgments must be obeyed, for they are the bedrock of civility and justice. I call on all men and women of good conscience to resist these illegal acts of the Nigerian Navy and to stand unwaveringly in defense of the rule of law, without which no democracy can endure.
Warm regards,
LATEEF OMOYEMI AKANGBE SAN, FCIArb(UK)
Former Chairman, NBA Lagos Branch
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