Parents of the nine ‘unlawfully’ dismissed cadets of 67 Regular Course in 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 into the academy.
The judge also instructed payment of 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.
The judgment further 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;
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 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.
“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 ”, he added.
He, therefore, appealed to President Tinubu, the Minister of Defence, and the service chiefs to investigate the matter to ascertain facts, adding that they have enough proof to show that the cadets are innocent.
