Navy Asked To Retract ‘Deserter Signal’ Issued Against Cmdr Ibe-Lambert

The Nigerian Navy has been urged to withdraw and retract ‘deserter Signal’, issues against a retired senior naval officer, Lieutenant Commodore S. A. Ibe-Lambert.

Ibe-Lambert’s lawyer, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole (SAN) made the called for the withdrawal of the deserter signal, in a letter to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), saying that such signal was not only unlawful but “baseless, contemptuous, particularly troubling and an affront to rule of law and our client’s constitutional rights”.

Nigerian Navy in a signal issued on September 3, 2025, had declared the retired Naval Officer ‘a deserter’, and said such action take effect 2nd December 2, 2019.

However, in a swift reaction to the signal, Ibe-Lambert’s lawyer, Oyewole (SAN) in dated September 9, 2024, addressed to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), captioned “Re: appeal for kind intervention in ensuring the enforcement of subsisting court orders on the reinstatement and promotion of Lt. Cdr S. A. Ibe-Lambert, NN 0840 and the withdrawal of the deserter signal issued against her by the Nigerian Navy on the 3rd of September 2025 In disobedience to the subsisting court judgments”, described the action taken by the Navy authority as ‘sending a wrong message under our democratic dispensation’.

The senior lawyer also decried the persistence and continuing disobedience of the Nigerian Navy to several court judgments ordering it to reinstate his client, as well, promoting and paying her accrued salaries, benefits and entitlement.

The letter reads in parts: “…. by a judgment of the Supreme Court dated 21st of September, 2007, our client was ordered to be reinstated into the Nigerian Navy, granting all accrued entitlements, benefits and dues for promotion from the commencement of the litigation to the date of reinstatement. This judgment was further interpreted and given credence by the Federal High Court of Nigeria via its Order dated 22nd February, 2013.

“The office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation/Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice under the office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in recognizing the judgment of the Supreme Court, further instructed the Nigerian Navy to comply with the orders of the Court as contained in the letters with reference no. MJ/LIT/ABJ/NN/174/15 dated 12th November, 2015 and reference no. MJ/LIT/ABJ/NN/172/16 dated 25th January, 2016.

“It is noteworthy that the Nigerian Navy has refused and/or neglected to comply with the judgment of the Supreme Court by neither reinstating, promoting nor paying the accrued salaries, benefits and entitlement of our client till date. Our client has since exceeded the statutory years of service since 2019 and is presumed to have retired from service since that date.

“Sir, rather than comply with the subsisting judgments of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as the order of the Federal High Court and directive of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigerian Navy has continued to not only disregard the court judgments but result to intimidating and harassing our client through unconventional means, one of which is the recent “Deserter Signal” issued on the 3rd of September, 2025 whereby our client was declared a ‘deserter’ with effect from 2nd December, 2019.

“With due respect, we find the actions being taken by the Nigerian Navy not only unlawful but baseless, contemptuous, particularly troubling and an affront to Rule of law and our client’s constitutional rights.

“It is more disheartening to find the Nigerian Navy treating the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, who is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, with contempt by ignoring the advice that emanated from that exalted office on this matter. The Nigerian Navy is not above the law and is still subject to the judgment of the sacred institutions like the Supreme Court, which is the highest court of the land.

“The Nigerian Navy should therefore avoid sending a wrong message under our democratic dispensation that they can treat institutions like the Supreme Court and the Office of the AG with impunity.

“It is in the light of the foregoing, that we humbly plead with your esteemed office to intervene by not only giving effect to the subsisting judgments of the Court and the advice of the Office of the Attorney- General of the Federation by ensuring that all accrued entitlements, promotion and benefits of our client are paid to her and also mandate the immediate retraction and withdrawal of the arbitrary deserter signal issued by the Nigerian Navy against our client to avoid attendant embarrassment to the institution of the Nigerian Navy by such further steps we may wish to take with respect to this matter.”