ECOWAS Court: Nigeria Found-Guilty Of Rights Violations During 2020-Lekki Toll Gate Protest

ECOWAS Court: Nigeria Found-Guilty Of Rights Violations During 2020-Lekki Toll Gate Protest

The ECOWAS Community Court has ruled that the Nigerian government violated the rights of three citizens during the 2020 EndSARS protest at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos. This judgment was delivered by a three-member panel, which found Nigeria in breach of several articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, and the duty to investigate and provide an effective remedy.

The suit was brought by Obianuju Catherine Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi, and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, who alleged that these violations occurred during the peaceful protests at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20 and 21, 2020. The court ordered Nigeria to pay each applicant N2 million as compensation for the violations.

The court’s statement emphasized that Nigeria must adhere to its obligations under the African Charter, investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violations, and report back within six months on the measures taken to implement the judgment.

The applicants detailed various human rights abuses during the protests, including shootings by soldiers, denial of medical care, and ongoing threats and surveillance. The Nigerian government denied all claims, arguing that the protesters unlawfully assembled and that its agents acted within strict rules of engagement.

In its judgment, the court did not find a violation of the right to life but upheld other claims of rights breaches, declaring that the applicants were denied effective remedies. The three-member panel, including Justices Dupe Atoki, Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves, and presiding Justice Koroma Mohamed Sengu, ordered reparations for the fundamental human rights violations.