The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has ruled that the Federal Government of Nigeria must pay ₦2 million each to Obianuju Udeh, known as DJ Switch, Perpetual Kamsi, and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka for violations of their rights.
The court found Nigeria in breach of Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, pertaining to rights such as 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.
Udeh and the other applicants alleged that these violations occurred during peaceful protests against the SARS unit of the Nigerian Police Force at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20 and 21, 2020.
While the court dismissed the allegation of violating the right to life under Article 4 of the ACPHR, it emphasized that the Nigerian government must fulfill its obligations under the Charter.
This includes investigating and prosecuting agents responsible for the violations, and reporting back to the court within six months on the implementation of these measures.
Despite the government’s denial of the allegations, arguing that the protesters unlawfully assembled, the court held that Nigeria breached several articles of the ACPHR, resulting in significant human rights violations during the protests.
