The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, asked the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, to reinstate 15 cadets recently dismissed from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
The request by the House followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the House Committee on Public Petition during its plenary session.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Committee, Jerry Alagbaso, explained that the petition was filed by Mohammed Ibrahim and 53 others against the Nigerian Defence Academy.
The committee recommended that the 15 cadets, comprising five naval, three air force and seven army cadets should be reinstated.
They are DJ Mohammed, Y.Y Bello, D.O Adebayo, D.C Obioha and U. Zakariyya, all naval cadets.
The air force cadets are A.H Timson, H.O Mohammed and I. Salisu while in the army cadets are: A. Yusuf, A.O Akiri, E.Y El Nathan, E.A Emmanuel, U.S Zango, U.S Kashim and A.A Oyebanjo.
The committee described their dismissal as “unlawful and illegal.”
“That the 15 Cadet Officers in question had completed their courses of study, passed the prescribed examinations and were graduated and convocated prior to the dossier review that indicted them. Against this backdrop, it is judiciously expedient that they should be given their academy Certificates and posted to their various Commands for onward redeployment.”
The committee further suggested that “after their reinstatement, the 15 cadets should be accorded all the requisite courtesies and privileges due to them as officers of the Nigerian Army without any discrimination.”
However, those with ‘academic challenges’ were exempted from reinstatement.
The committee’s report was adopted by the House.
