By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Lagos
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit seeking N3.7 billion in damages against the Nigerian Navy.
The suit, filed by a former naval officer, Dada Labinjo, was marked FHC/L/CS/1860/2025. The Attorney General of the Federation and two others were also joined as parties.
Labinjo alleged that the Navy violated his fundamental rights by issuing a “signal” for his arrest, which he claimed infringed on his liberty and freedom of movement.
Through his counsel, Andrew C. Igboekwe (SAN), the applicant asked the court to enforce his fundamental rights as outlined in his application and supporting affidavit. He also urged the court to grant any additional reliefs deemed appropriate in the circumstances.
In the lead-up to the suit, members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lagos Branch, staged a protest on September 10, 2025, over the alleged arrest signal.
The branch chairman, Uchenna Ogunedo Akingbade, in a notice of protest, condemned the Navy’s action, describing the classification of Labinjo as a deserter as unlawful and in disregard of a subsisting judgment of the National Industrial Court. He said the protest was necessary to defend the rule of law and seek redress.
However, counsel to the Navy, Ekpedeme Nelson Iyoho, opposed the application, arguing that it disclosed no reasonable cause of action capable of invoking the court’s jurisdiction under Section 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Iyoho further contended that the alleged arrest “signal” tendered by the applicant was unsigned and therefore lacked legal validity, describing it as worthless in law.
He maintained that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process and judicial harassment, adding that the claims were speculative and unsupported by credible evidence.
Delivering judgment on April 2, 2026, Justice Lewis Allagoa dismissed the suit in its entirety, holding that it lacked merit.
