Court Holds Nigerian Government Accountable for Human Rights Violations During #EndSARS Protests
Wisdom C. Nwoga
According to a CNN report on July 12, 2024, a West African court has found the Nigerian government guilty of human rights abuses during the suppression of the 2020 #EndSARS protests. The ECOWAS Court of Justice imposed a financial penalty on Nigeria for its forceful crackdown on peaceful protesters demanding the shutdown of the notorious police unit, SARS.
The court found "credible evidence of disproportionate use of force and violations of the right to liberty and security, assembly, free speech, and dignity," particularly at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020. The ruling orders the Nigerian government to pay N2 million (around US$ 1,200) in compensation to each victim named in the suit.
The case was brought by three Nigerians who were at the protest: Perpetual Kamsi, Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, and Obianuju Catherine Udeh. Their lawyer, Bolaji Gabari, described the verdict as "a significant victory for the #EndSARS movement."
The court also ordered Nigeria to investigate and prosecute the operatives responsible for the human rights abuses and provide an update in six months on the investigation and payment of compensation to those affected.
The #EndSARS movement began in 2020 as a protest against police brutality and violence but expanded to demand police reform and an end to bad governance in the country. A government-appointed panel, the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution at the Lagos Court of Arbitration, determined that the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate could be considered a "massacre" after a yearlong investigation.
"The court found credible evidence of disproportionate use of force and violations of the right to liberty and security, assembly, free speech, and dignity," said a court statement.
"particularly its (Nigeria's) disproportionate use of force at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020."
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