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[JUST IN] EndSARS Protest: ECOWAS Court Finds FG Guilty Of Human Rights Violations

Published

12 months ago

July 10, 2024

…orders trial of security agents that attacked protesters at Lekki Toll Gate

The Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Wednesday, found the Federal Government guilty of violating the fundamental human rights of youths that participated in the October 2020, EndSARS protest.

The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices, held that there was merit in a suit that three participants in the protest- Obianuju Catherine Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka- lodged before it.

Specifically, the court held that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through its security agencies, violated Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ACPHR, pertaining to the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, duty of the state to investigate, and the right to effective remedy.

The Applicants had in their suit, alleged that these violations occurred during peaceful protests they held at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State on October 20 and 21, 2020.

The regional court, in its lead judgement that was delivered by the Judge Rapporteur, Justice Koroma Mohamed Sengu, dismissed the Applicants’ allegation that their right to life as guaranteed under Article 4 of the ACPHR, was violated.

However, it ordered FG to pay each of tje Applicants the sum of N2million as compensation for violations of their security of person, prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, duty to investigate human rights violations, and right to effective remedy.

Additionally, it held that FG must adhere to its obligations under the ACPHR, by investigating and prosecuting its agents responsible for the violations.

The court ordered FG to within the next six months, report to it, measures taken to implement the judgment.

The Applicants had alleged that during the peaceful protests against the SARS Unit of the Nigerian Police Force at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos State, on October 20 and 21, 2020, the Respondent, committed several human rights violations.

Triggered by the alleged killing of one Daniel Chibuike, the protests were aimed to address police harassment and brutality.

In the suit, the 1st Applicant, among other things, told the court that soldiers shot life amunitions at protesters, resulting in deaths and injuries, which she live-streamed.

She told the court that subsequently, she started receiving threatening phone calls that forced her not not only go into hiding, but to also seek asylum.

Likewise, the 2nd Applicant, who said she was responsible for the welfare of the protesters, described how soldiers began shooting after a power cut, leading to her hospitalisation due to excessive tear gas she inhaled.

On her part, the 3rd Applicant, narrated how she narrowly escaped being shot and how soldiers refused to allow ambulance to enter the protest ground to help the injured participants.

She further told the court that she later witnessed how the victims were neglected without the provision of adequate healthcare for them at the hospital.

The 3rd Applicant told the court that with the held of her colleagues, she eventually took over and started taking care of the victims.

She alleged that she faced numerous threats and was placed on surveillance by security agents.

Consequently, all the Applicants prayed the cort to issue declaratory reliefs against FG and award compensation to them for the gross violations of their fundamental human rights.

Meanwhile, in processes it filed before the court, FG, through its team of lawyers, denied all the allegations and claims that were made by the Applicants.

It told the court that the protesters unlawfully assembled at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, under the guise of protesting against SARS.

FG also maintained that its agents followed strict rules of engagement and did not shoot or kill protesters.

It argued that the 1st Applicant incited the crowd by playing music and using her Instagram page to stir disaffection against law enforcement agents who were targeting escapee members of Boko Haram and bandits.

FG further contended that the 2nd Applicant’s provision of logistics and welfare packages indicated her support for the violent protest.

It claimed that soldiers were present to restore peace until the police arrived, denying any harm inflicted on protesters and the alleged refusal to access to the ambulance.

More so, FG denied that the 3rd Applicant’s presence was peaceful, asserting it was meant to escalate violence.

It argued that the treatment and care of the injured were managed by the Lagos State government, insisting that the Applicants failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims and the reliefs the sought from the court.

In its judgment on Wednesday, the court held that it could not establish that there was violation of the right to life as the Applicants failed to adduce any evidence to that effect.

Nevertheless, it held that several articles of the ACHPR were breached by the Respondent (FG), which occasioned fundamental breaches of human rights.

Furthermore, the Court said it was satisfied that the Applicants were denied the right to an effective remedy.

It ordered FG to make reparations to the Applicants for the violation of their fundamental human rights.

Other members of the panel that concurred with the lead judgement, were Justice Dupe Atoki who presided, and Justice Ricardo Claúdio Monteiro Gonçalves.
VANGUARD

Headline

92-year-old Convicted For 1967 Killing In UK’s Oldest Cases

Published

8 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

A 92-year-old British man was convicted on Monday for a rape and murder committed nearly 60 years ago, in one of the UK’s longest-running cold cases.

Ryland Headley was found guilty by a UK court for raping and killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne after breaking into her house in Bristol, southwest England in June 1967, when he was 34 years old.

It is “one of the oldest cold cases to ever be solved in the UK”, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which brings criminal prosecutions, said.

Local police reopened the case in 2023 and matched DNA from the victim’s skirt and other items from the original probe to Headley, who had also served a prison sentence for raping two elderly women in 1977.

He is due to be sentenced by a judge at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday.

During the initial investigation, police had found a left-hand palm print from Dunne’s home, where she was found dead from strangulation.

The palm print was compared to 19,000 men to no avail.

At the time, Headley was a railway worker who lived just outside the area in which men and boys were asked to give prints.

Reaching a dead-end, police sealed away forensic evidence for half a century. Both DNA testing and later Headley’s palm print resulted in matches.

When Headley was arrested at his home last November, he told detectives: “I don’t know what you are talking about. Very strange, very strange.”

“For 58 years, this appalling crime went unsolved and Ryland Headley, the man we now know is responsible, avoided justice,” said Charlotte Ream of the CPS.

Following the conviction, Dunne’s granddaughter Mary Dainton said her death had a “far-reaching impact throughout my family”.

“I was just 20-years-old when my grandmother died and I’m now almost the same age as she was when she was killed,” Dainton said outside court.

Police said they were now looking into other possible cold cases Headley could be linked to.

“Ryland Headley has now been convicted of three rapes of elderly women within their own addresses, and in the case of Louisa Dunne, her murder as well,” Dave Marchant of Avon and Somerset Police told the PA news agency.

“I think there’s every possibility that there are other offences out there – over the 60s, 70s, however long a time period – which Mr Headley could be culpable for.”

Headline

Hope Dashed As Norwegian Company Apologizes For ‘Mistakenly Telling’ Thousands They Won Big On Lottery

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

A Norwegian lottery company on Monday apologised to 47,000 crestfallen gamblers who were mistakenly told they had won huge sums in a lottery, the firm blaming a currency conversion error.

State-owned gambling group Norsk Tipping said they had published incorrect prize amounts after a Eurojackpot draw on Friday because of an error converting from euro cents to Norwegian kroner.

The winnings had been multiplied by 100 instead of being divided by 100, the company said.

Among the disappointed was Ole Fredrik Sveen, who was on holiday in Greece when he received a message from Norsk Tipping that he had won 1.2 million kroner ($119,000).

“I thought: ‘Wow, is it finally my turn? Could it be true?’ I go onto the Norsk Tipping website, and there it says in black and white: ‘Congratulations, you have won!’,” Sveen told public broadcaster NRK on Monday.

In reality, he had won 125 kroner ($12).

On Monday, Sveen and the 47,000 others received apologies by text message from Norsk Tipping for the snafu.

“The apology was a poor consolation. They should have sent it out after the mistake, not today,” he said.

The Lottery Authority said Monday it had launched a review to determine if gambling laws had been broken, and Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery called the error “totally unacceptable”.

The firm’s chief executive Tonje Sagstuen resigned on Saturday after the scandal, leaving acting chief executive Vegar Strand to apologise on Monday.

Strand said his company’s state ownership made the mistake particularly problematic, noting that the firm was “entirely dependent on the trust of the population”.

“We have deeply disappointed our customers and take full responsibility for rectifying the situation. Such errors are serious for a company that is supposed to manage the trust of Norwegians,” Strand said.

“The work to rebuild trust again has the highest priority going forward.”

AFP

Headline

Musk Renews Attack On Trump, Says ‘Big, Beautiful Bill Utterly Insane’

Published

10 hours ago

June 30, 2025

Editor

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has renewed his public criticism of United States President Donald Trump, taking aim at the administration’s controversial “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which recently cleared a critical hurdle in the Senate, TIMES reported.

In a post on X on Saturday, Musk denounced the 940-page legislative package as economically harmful, claiming it would severely damage emerging industries while supporting outdated sectors.

“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country,” he wrote to his more than 220 million followers.

He further described the legislation as “utterly insane and destructive.”

The senate narrowly voted 51–49 to advance the bill on Saturday night, following extended negotiations among Republicans. Vice President J.D Vance was present to cast a tie-breaking vote, though it was ultimately not required.

Musk, who once served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump, left the administration after a high-profile fallout and has since emerged as one of the bill’s fiercest opponents.

He described the measure as “political suicide” for Republicans and warned that it would raise the national debt ceiling by $5 trillion — the largest such increase in US history. “America is in the fast lane to debt slavery,” he added.

Responding in an interview aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, Trump attempted to defuse the tension. “I haven’t spoken to him much, but I think Elon is a wonderful guy,” he said. Trump also suggested Musk’s frustration stemmed from disagreements over recent changes to electric vehicle mandates.

Musk’s opposition to the bill is not new. Earlier in June, he urged Americans to contact their representatives, calling the legislation a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill.”

Despite the bill’s advancement in the Senate, it faces continued resistance. Senate Democrats have slowed proceedings by demanding the entire bill be read aloud in protest.

“If Senate Republicans won’t tell the American people what’s in this bill, then Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer