Falana accuses Nigerian Navy of illegally detaining 67 persons

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has accused the Nigerian Navy of illegally detaining 67 persons, including a senior Naval officer, Navy Captain Dada Labinjo and four Ukrainian crew of an equally detained Swiss vessel.

According to the human rights lawyer, the 67 persons have been in the navy detention for periods ranging between three and 18 months for undisclosed alleged criminal offences and are yet to be charged to court.

Falana made the accusation in an August 15 letter he wrote to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), adding that the illegal detention of citizens and foreigners by the navy was exposing Nigeria to international ridicule.

He also recalled that Switzerland had dragged Nigeria before a Zurich court over the seizure of its vessel and the continued detention of its Ukranian crew members by the navy, complaining that the NHRC has failed to sanction anyone after the Navy refused to respond to a petition against it.

He said: “The illegal detention of several Nigerians and foreigners by the authorities of the Nigerian Navy has exposed Nigeria to ridicule before the comity of civilised nations.

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“As you are, no doubt, aware, the Swiss Government has filed a suit against the Federal Government of Nigeria in Zurich over the detention of a vessel and its crew members of four Ukranians by the Nigerian Navy for the past 18 months.

“It may interest the commission to know that the authorities of the Nigerian Navy have continued to detain Navy Captain Dada Labinjo in an underground cell in the detention facility of the Defence Intelligence Agency at Abuja since September 12, 2018 in contravention of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, which has prohibited the detention of any person in any underground cell in Nigeria.

“As if that is not enough, the authorities of the Nigerian Navy have refused to comply with the order of the Federal High Court for the release of the detained senior military officer from illegal custody.

“We have also confirmed, to our utter dismay, that 57 people are being detained in crowded cells at the NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos while 10 others are incarcerated inside a vessel at Marina, Lagos.

“Even though the 67 people have been accused of committing undisclosed criminal offences they have been detained by the Nigerian Navy for periods ranging from three months to 18 months without any remand order issued by a magistrate court or any judge in Nigeria.”

The human rights activist, however, threatened to sue the rights commission if it did not accede to his request in seven days.

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