By Abiola Olawale
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) community court of justice has held that the federal government of Nigeria was guilty of abuse of human rights during the #EndSARS protest that occurred in several parts of the country in October 2020.
The Court also ruled that the Nigerian government breached Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, specifically on the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, the duty of the state to investigate, and the right to effective remedy.
The judgment was delivered in a lawsuit filed by Obianuju Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, against the Federal Government.
The trio had argued before that court that their rights were violated during the peaceful protests at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20 and 21, 2020. Delivering judgment on the suit, the judge rapporteur, Justice Koroma Sengu, ruled that the Federal Government must pay each applicant N2 million as compensation for violations of their security of person, prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, duty to investigate human rights violations, and right to effective remedy.
The judge also ordered the Federal Government to adhere to its obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, investigate and prosecute its agents responsible for these violations, and report to the court within six months on the measures taken to implement this judgment.
