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July 10, 2024
The court's ruling comes as a development in the ongoing efforts to seek justice for victims of police brutality and excessive force during the nationwide demonstrations.
Amnesty International has commended the ruling of the ECOWAS Court, which ordered the Nigerian government to conduct a fresh investigation into rights violations that occurred during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests across Nigeria.
The court's ruling comes as a development in the ongoing efforts to seek justice for victims of police brutality and excessive force during the nationwide demonstrations.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria reiterated the organisation’s commitment to upholding human rights standards and ensuring accountability for perpetrators.
The statement read, “Amnesty International welcomes the ruling of the Court that orders the government of Nigeria to conduct a new investigation of rights violations that occurred during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests across Nigeria, in line with its duty to promote and protect human rights under international law, prosecute perpetrators, and provide redress to victims.
“In response to applicants' Catherine Udeh & Ors case against the harassment and brutality of the notorious and disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) the ECOWAS Court of Justice delivered its judgment today finding violations of the applicants' right to liberty and security, freedom of expression and association, right to freedom of assembly and effective remedy.
“Amnesty International was a friend of the court in the case and made submissions that (1) the right to life is violated by use of lethal force on peaceful protesters, (2) that freedom of peaceful assembly is violated by the unlawful dispersal of peaceful assemblies (3) and that the individuals whose rights have been violated have the right to effective remedy."
SaharaReporters earlier on Wednesday reported that the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had ruled that the Federal Republic of Nigeria violated the human rights of Obianuju Catherine Udeh and two others.
The ruling, delivered on July 10, 2024, found Nigeria in breach of several articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The court found that Nigeria violated Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11, which pertain to the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, the state's duty to investigate, and the right to an effective remedy.
The Applicants, Obianuju Catherine Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka alleged that the violations occurred during the peaceful protests at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20 and 21, 2020.
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