Dismissed Cadets: Parents Seek Tinubu’s Intervention

The parents of the nine ‘unlawfully’ dismissed cadets of the 67 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and instruct the Minister of Defence and the service chiefs to respect the court judgment reinstating their children back to the academy.

A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna state had on May 18, 2023, in a judgment ordered the NDA to pay the dismissed cadets all their entitlements since their dismissal in 2019.

The judgment stated that the action of Major General I.M. Yusuf and the Nigerian Defence Academy respectively to withdraw the cadets from the Nigerian Defence Academy after their graduating from and participating in the Passing-Out Parade of the 67th regular course of the Nigerian Defence Academy is unconstitutional, unlawful, discriminatory, oppressive, vindictive, arbitrary and amount to the conviction without trial and/or fair hearing.

It further declared that the NDA should immediately reinstate all the dismissed cadets, pay them their accrued entitlements and award them their Degree Certificates, having completed their studies and having participated in the academic convocation of the Nigerian Defence Academy and participated in the 67th Passing Out Parade of the Nigerian Defence Academy held on October 5, 2019.

According to the judgment, the cadets have not been given a fair hearing and fair trial in line with the rules of natural Justice.

LEADERSHIP had reported that the House of Representatives had also on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, considered the Report of the Committee on Public Petitions on the petition by Mohammed Ibrahim and 53 others against the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on the unlawful withdrawal and relegation of Mohammed Ibrahim and 53 others.

The House then urged the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff to instruct the Commandant of NDA in Kaduna state to as a matter of urgency, reinstate the 15 Cadets officers who have completed their courses, were graduated, and wrongfully dismissed.

Also, that the Cadet officers had completed their courses of study, passed the prescribed examinations, and were graduated and convocated before the dossier review that purported to have indicted them.

Against this backdrop, they should be given their academy certificate and posted to their various commands for onward redeployment.

However, since the judgment at the Federal High Court and the House of Representatives recommendations, neither the Minister of Defense nor the National Defense Academy have acted on it or complied with the order of the court.

The parents of the cadets led by Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Daura, the Maradin Daura of Katsina state, in a press briefing in Abuja, lamented that more than a month after the court judgment and years after the National Assembly recommendation, the NDA had refused to implement the court ruling.

He thereby appealed to President Tinubu, the Minister of Defence, and the service chiefs to investigate the matter to ascertain his facts saying, they have everything at hand to show that our children are innocent.

“I had earlier written a petition to the minister of defence and all the service chiefs, but unfortunately, we do not know who frustrated the investigation in NDA. That is why I am appealing to the authorities concerned to re-investigate and find out the truth behind the dismissal of our children.

“Because, we know and have evidence to prove that the person behind our children’s problems, especially my son, was Lt. Col. Yusuf Dodo, who was the Academy Adjutant of the NDA. When the problem started, it was not an issue of dossier or party, and we presented the issue to the National Assembly and Court. So, if they want to know the truth, they should investigate him, because he was the brain behind everything.

“He was later appointed by former President Buhari to be his ADC. The Service Chiefs and the Minister of Defence should investigate him and make him answer for his action. We have evidence to support the investigation,” he said.

He expressed disappointment that instead of the former administration calling the former Adjutant to order, and making him answer for his wrong against their innocent children, he was rewarded with the appointment of an ADC to President Buhari.

“It is unfortunate that the Federal High Court and the National Assembly gave a resolution and the NDA has not respected it. We know that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a leader that respects every resolution made by the National Assembly, that is why we are appealing to him to intervene because these children are suffering the injustice done to them.

“It is two years now that the resolutions were made by the National Assembly, while it is going two months since the High Court gave its judgment, but nothing has been done by the Minister of Defense or the NDA. Our children are still at home when they are supposed to be serving this country by now, like their mates they graduated together.

“These children have suffered enough, they should be allowed to go back and complete the NDA course which they have passion for and serve the country they believe in. It is not easy to sacrifice our children to defend the country. Now they have finished their degree in Military training, but unfortunately, they were wrongly dismissed from the Nigerian Army.

“We took the matter to the National Assembly, they did their investigation and they found out that they were wrongly dismissed and also, we won the case in court. But until now, there is no response from the Nigerian Army, the Minister of Defence, and the Chief of Defence Staff. President Tinubu should please come to our rescue and save our children from the street,” he pleaded.