Claim: A Facebook user, Musa Muhammad Tajudeen, claims that the Federal High Court of Nigeria rejected a bid to remove the Arabic inscription from the Nigerian Army logo.
Verdict: Misleading. While we found a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos challenging the Arabic inscription on the Nigerian Army logo, there is no evidence that the Federal High Court delivered the judgment described in the Facebook post.
Full Text
A Facebook user, Musa Muhammad Tajudeen (archived here), on July 20, 2026, claimed that the Federal High Court of Nigeria had rejected a bid to remove the Arabic inscription from the Nigerian Army logo.
Part of the post reads, “The Federal High Court of Nigeria has dismissed a lawsuit seeking the removal of the Arabic inscription (which means ‘victory is from God’) from the Nigerian Army’s logo, bringing the legal battle to an end. In a judgment delivered on Wednesday in Lagos, the apex court ruled that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing to institute the case on behalf of all Nigerians.”
The post generated several reactions, with some users expressing frustration and others questioning the claim’s authenticity and demanding evidence of the alleged court judgment.
One commentator, G-win Lmntrix, wrote, “To be frank and sincere. Na the person papa go make am second official language mumu.”
Another user, Murtala Adamu Aliyu, wrote, “At the time this inscription was done, the NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS CANNOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THEIR LEFT AND RIGHT.”
A third commenter, Samson Somefun, questioned the source of the information, asking, “Hmmm, Mr writer. Can u give us proof of this court case? What’s the name of this person? Before it gets to the Federal High Court. What’s the court verdict on the lower courts? Any news on national TV or in the newspaper to back up this claim? I’m not saying u shouldn’t cry, but pls give us proof!”
The claim was also posted here, here, and here.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim because of its sensitive nature and virality.
Verification
DUBAWA traced the origin of the legal controversy to a suit filed by Lagos-based lawyer and human-rights activist Malcolm Omirhobo.
In 2020, Malcolm instituted legal action challenging the use of Arabic inscriptions on Nigerian national symbols. One of the suits challenged the Arabic inscription on the Nigerian Army logo, while another concerned Arabic inscriptions on Nigerian currency.
Available reports identified the Army logo case as Suit No. FHC/L/CS/2/2020 before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The lawyer argued that the use of Arabic inscriptions on official national symbols was inconsistent with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions on its secular nature. He sought, among other reliefs, the removal of the Arabic inscription from the Nigerian Army logo.
However, the existence of the 2020 suit does not, in itself, establish that the Federal High Court eventually delivered the judgment described in the Facebook post.
DUBAWA searched available news reports on the case and found no credible evidence confirming that the Federal High Court delivered a final judgment in Lagos on Wednesday, as claimed in the post, which ruled that the plaintiff lacked legal standing to sue on behalf of all Nigerians.
The Facebook post specifically attributes the judgment to the Federal High Court, but also refers to it as the “apex court”, which is inaccurate. The Federal High Court is a superior court of record, but it is not Nigeria’s apex court. The Supreme Court of Nigeria is the country’s highest court.
DUBAWA’s review also found that a separate Federal High Court case concerning Arabic inscriptions on the Nigerian naira was dismissed in 2024.
This judgment had nothing to do with the Arabic inscription on the Nigerian Army logo.
Unlike the naira case, for which multiple reputable media outlets reported the Federal High Court’s July 2024 judgment, DUBAWA could not find comparable credible reports confirming the alleged dismissal of the Army logo case.
Conclusion
The claim that the Federal High Court rejected a bid to remove the Arabic inscription from the Nigerian Army logo is misleading.
DUBAWA confirms that Malcolm Omirhobo filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos in 2020, challenging the Arabic inscription on the Nigerian Army logo. However, DUBAWA could not independently verify that the Federal High Court delivered the specific judgment described in the Facebook post. The claim also incorrectly refers to the Federal High Court as the “apex court,” a title reserved for the Supreme Court of Nigeria.