By Abiola Olawale
Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called out Nigeria for leading the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member nations in disregarding the rulings of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
In a scathing statement titled “End Disobedience of ECOWAS Courts,” Falana highlighted Nigeria’s failure to enforce 44 out of 154 unheeded judgments as of December 2024, urging President Bola Tinubu to lead by example and ensure compliance.
Falana criticized African leaders, particularly those in the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for treating the court’s decisions with “disdain.”
The statement reads in part: “With respect, the ECOWAS leaders have failed to uphold democratic norms and rule of law. Hence, the region has continued to witness unconstitutional changes in government.
Falana said “without any legal and political justification whatsoever, the leaders have treated the decisions” of the court with disrespect.
Citing official records from the court as of December 2024, Falana revealed the number of unenforced judgments by member states, with Nigeria topping the list at 44.
He said the list is followed by Togo with 27, Guinea with 15, Mali with 10, Sierra Leone with 9, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal with 8 each, Ghana with 6, Benin and Burkina Faso with 5 each, Liberia with 4, The Gambia with 3, and Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau with 1 judgment each.
