The Nigerian Navy has been ordered to reinstate Naval Rating Officer Fagbemi Babatunde and pay him all outstanding salaries, benefits, and pension contributions from August 2008 to date.
He was also awarded N7 million in damages and N1 million for legal costs.
Naval Rating Officer Fagbemi Babatunde, alongside his counsel, Qousim Opakunle Esq, spoke to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, stating that he had been wrongfully dismissed without trial and had made several unsuccessful attempts to challenge the decision.
“I was detained and later dismissed without any formal charge or trial. For years, I wrote letters seeking an explanation, but my efforts were ignored,” he said.
Babatunde was dismissed in 2008 after being detained on the orders of his commanding officer. He was accused of refusing to sign for and collect a weapon while on duty at the Knock Adoon platform belonging to Addax Petroleum Company Ltd. The Nigerian Navy claimed he had been investigated and dismissed for disobedience.
“They claimed I refused to take a weapon, but I was never deployed to that platform. Even if I had disobeyed an order, the law requires a proper trial, not an arbitrary dismissal,” Babatunde stated.
After years of seeking answers, he took the matter to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, challenging his dismissal. The case was heard by Justice E. D. Subilim, who ruled in his favour, declaring his dismissal unlawful.
“The court has now affirmed that what happened to me was unjust. I am relieved that justice has finally been served,” Babatunde said.
The judge ordered his reinstatement and directed the Navy to settle all outstanding entitlements, including pension contributions, from August 2008 to March 2025.