ECOWAS Court Orders Nigerian Government to Compensate #EndSARS Protesters

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court has ruled that the Nigerian government violated human rights during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

The court has ordered the government to pay each applicant 2 million naira as compensation.

This ruling came after DJ Switch (Obianuju Catherine Udeh), Perpetual Kamsi, and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka took the government to court.

They claimed that their rights were violated during the peaceful protests at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20 and 21, 2020.

In the judgment delivered on July 10, 2024, the ECOWAS court found that the Nigerian government used too much force at the Lekki Toll Gate.

This action broke several international human rights rules, including those in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. As a result, the court ordered the government to pay each applicant 2 million naira.

However, Justice Koroma Sengu, the judge, dismissed the claim that the right to life was violated.

DJ Switch said that soldiers shot at protesters, causing deaths and injuries, which she live-streamed. She also said she received threatening phone calls that forced her to go into hiding and seek asylum.

The second applicant, who managed protester welfare, told the court that soldiers started shooting after the lights went out, which led to her being hospitalized due to tear gas exposure.

The third applicant described how she narrowly escaped being shot and how soldiers blocked an ambulance. She also saw victims receive poor medical care at the hospital.

The ECOWAS court’s ruling highlights the need for accountability in how the Nigerian government handles peaceful protests.