The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has ruled that Nigeria violated the rights of 26 individuals forcibly evicted from communities in Lagos and Rivers States.
A three-member panel comprising Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (presiding), Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (judge rapporteur), and Honourable Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara delivered the judgment on Thursday in the case of Mr. Edwin Lenyie & 25 Ors. v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (Application No: ECW/CCJ/APP/34/17). The Court found that Nigeria breached Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) by failing to ensure access to justice for the evictees.
The applicants alleged that between 2004 and 2013, Nigerian authorities forcibly evicted residents without prior notice, compensation, or alternative shelter, rendering thousands homeless. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had begun hearings in 2014 but suspended proceedings indefinitely, leaving the applicants without legal recourse.
Justice Koroma, delivering the judgment, affirmed the Court’s jurisdiction and ruled that Nigeria failed in its duty to provide legal remedies for the victims. The Court dismissed the respondent’s objections, including claims that the applicants should have pursued their case in Nigerian courts. It also struck out the NHRC as a respondent, holding the Nigerian state fully responsible for the actions of its agencies.
As a remedy, the Court ordered the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pay N2 million in compensation to each of the 26 applicants. It emphasized that reparations serve to restore justice rather than to punish the state.
