Law News
ECOWAS court to deliver ruling in Dasuki’s suit

Fourty-five cases from 10 member states have been scheduled for the first quarter of 2016 by the Community Court of Justice, Economic Community of West African States between February and April 2016, according to the records provided by the Registry Department of the Court.

The court will deliver judgements in five of the cases, give rulings on three others while the rest of the cases are for hearing including suit no ECW/CCJ/APP/01/16 filed by a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)

A statement by the ECOWAS Court on Wednesday in Abuja said Dasuki’s suit had been fixed for March 15, 2016.

It stated that the suit filed by the former foreign minister of Burkina Faso in case number ECW/CCJ/APP/03/16 had been fixed for March 18, 2016.

Three of the judgements would be delivered on February 16, 2016, the statement added, noting that most of the cases bordered on human rights violations.

“They include those filed by retired Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser to a former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and another by Djibril Bassole, who served as a foreign minister under former President Blaise Compaore. Both of them have approached the court for the enforcement of their fundamental human rights,” the statement said.

It also listed another case to be heard to include suit no ECW/CCJ/APP/17/14 filed by one Dorothy Njemanze and three others against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alleging that they were arbitrarily abducted, detained and assaulted sexually, verbally and physically at different times between January 2010 and March 2013.

“They alleged that the agents of the government of Nigeria comprising the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, the Nigerian Police, and the Nigerian military subjected them to gender-based violence and inhuman and degrading treatment contrary to the provisions of various international legal instruments,” the statement noted.

The plaintiffs also cited the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women among the instruments violated by the government.

The matter has been slated for continuation of hearing on March 18, 2016.

In another case, a Nigerian, Mr. Obioma Ogukwe, whose 15- year-old son died in a swimming incident on October 15, 2016 is suing the government of Ghana in suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/12/14 alleging the violation of his fundamental rights as enshrined in relevant sections of various international legal instruments by its failure to carry out a proper investigation and prosecution of person(s) found guilty for the alleged murder of his son.

Hearing in the case continues on March 18.

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