ECOWAS Court Orders Nigeria To Pay Journalist ₦10m Over #EndBadGovernance Protest Assault

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to pay ₦10 million in damages to Abuja-based journalist Jide Oyekunle for the violation of his fundamental rights during the #EndBadGovernance protest in 2024.

The judgment, delivered in Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25, was secured by Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France), also known as Lawyers Without Borders France, under its eRIGHTS project supported by the European Union.

According to a statement issued by ASF France Country Director, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, the case centred on press freedom and the rights of journalists covering matters of public interest.

Oyekunle, a reporter with Daily Independent Newspapers and Secretary of the FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), was assaulted, detained and had his mobile phone confiscated by police officers while live-reporting the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest at Eagle Square, Abuja, on August 1, 2024.

The regional court ruled that the actions of Nigerian security operatives interfered with Oyekunle’s live coverage of the protest and violated his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The court further held that his assault and detention breached his rights to personal liberty, human dignity and freedom from degrading treatment under Articles 5 and 6 of the Charter.

It also ruled that the temporary seizure of his mobile phone amounted to a violation of his right to property under Article 14.

According to the judgment, the Nigerian government failed to justify the actions of its security personnel under internationally recognised standards of necessity and proportionality, making the conduct unlawful and excessive.

Reacting to the ruling, Uzoma-Iwuchukwu described the judgment as a significant victory for press freedom and digital rights.

“This judgment sends a clear message that a journalist’s digital tools are extensions of the modern newsroom, and their arbitrary confiscation by security forces is a direct attack on the public’s right to access information,” she said.

The ruling adds to a growing body of ECOWAS Court decisions aimed at protecting journalists, human rights defenders and citizens documenting protests and other public-interest events across the region.

ASF France said it would continue to monitor compliance with the judgment and provide legal support to journalists facing similar violations.

The organisation added that the decision strengthens legal protections for journalism in the digital age, reinforces accountability for attacks on media practitioners and reaffirms the ECOWAS Court’s role as a key defender of civic freedoms in West Africa.