By Abdul Lauya
The Nigerian Navy has dismissed Lieutenant S.N. Obini, service number NN/4488, after a Special Court Martial found him guilty of engaging in a sexual relationship with a colleague’s wife.
The disciplinary action, confirmed by Naval Headquarters directive NHQ: 08/68/93/A/VOL.VIII/24 of 26 August 2025, was implemented at the Nigerian Navy Institute of Technology (NNIT) parade ground on Friday, 29 August 2025, at about 2:45 pm.
The officer faced a four-count charge, including sexual relations with a service personnel’s wife contrary to Section 79 of the Armed Forces Act (AFA) CAP A20 LFN 2004, scandalous conduct under Section 91 of the same Act, and deceiving a witness under Section 122 of the Criminal Code Act CAP C380 pursuant to Section 114 of the AFA.
At the end of the trial, the Special Court Martial sentenced him to three years imprisonment and dismissal from the Nigerian Navy with effect from 23 November 2024, a decision later upheld by the Navy Board after legal review confirmed that due process was followed.
The punishment was formally read and implemented by the Director of Training, Captain O.O. Dada, in the presence of officers and men of NNIT, with photographs of the event documented.
Military insiders note that while Obini’s case was punished in line with military law, many similar cases of officers preying on junior colleagues’ wives remain buried due to lack of evidence or unwillingness of witnesses to testify under the strict evidentiary requirements of the Armed Forces Act.
Analysts say this legal hurdle has emboldened some personnel to exploit vulnerable military families, particularly wives of servicemen deployed on peacekeeping missions abroad or battling insurgency and banditry in Nigeria’s North East, North West, and North Central regions.
Observers argue that unless reforms are introduced to make the system more responsive to the realities of military life, the culture of silence and impunity around sexual misconduct in the barracks may continue to thrive.
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