The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, will host a sensitisation outreach and an external court session in Lagos, Nigeria, from 5 to 16 May 2025.
The outreach, scheduled for 5 to 7 May at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, aims to raise awareness about the Court’s mandate, jurisdiction, and operations. The event will foster cooperation between the ECOWAS Court and national courts, while engaging citizens at the grassroots level.
The programme will feature an opening ceremony attended by senior government officials, judges, lawyers, law students, civil society representatives, NGOs, and members of the public. Over three days, participants will engage in presentations on topics such as the Court’s mandate, case filing procedures, women and children’s rights, the Court’s relationship with national courts, and the ECOWAS Electronic Case Management System (ECMS). A panel discussion on the role of government and NGOs in promoting and protecting human rights before the Court, followed by a press conference, will conclude the event.
The external court session will take place from 8 to 16 May at the High Court of Lagos, Osborne Annex, Ikoyi, where 35 cases will be heard and 15 judgments delivered. The sessions will be presided over by the Court’s five current judges: Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (President), Honourable Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (Vice President), Honourable Justice Dupe Atoki, Honourable Justice Gberi-bè Ouattara, and Honourable Justice Edward Amoako Asante.
This external session is held under Article 26(2) of the Court’s Protocol, which permits sittings in other Member States when necessary. The Court’s President authorised the Lagos session by Order on 3 March 2025.
Ahead of the events, courtesy visits were made to senior officials of Lagos State and other key stakeholders.
The ECOWAS Court’s core mandate is to interpret and apply the ECOWAS Revised Treaty and related texts. Since the 2005 Supplementary Protocol granting citizens direct access, the Court has seen a significant rise in judicial activity, especially in human rights cases.
