The Nigerian government was indicted on Wednesday by the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for violating human rights during its response to the #EndSARS protest, specifically for its excessive use of force at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020.

In a decision handed down by Judge Rapporteur Justice Koroma Sengu, the ECOWAS sub-regional court harshly condemned the N10 million payout to each of the victims listed in the lawsuit.

According to a statement made by human rights activist Chioma Chuka-Agwuegbo, a coalition of human rights activists and organizations filed a lawsuit before the ECOWAS Court alleging serious abuses of fundamental human rights by Nigerian security personnel.

Chuka-Agwuegbo claims that the ruling of the ECOWAS Court emphasizes the vital role that civil society plays in promoting justice and human dignity as well as the significance of regional judicial systems in keeping governments accountable and defending people’s rights.

The Court found that the Nigerian government’s conduct violated multiple international human rights norms, including Articles 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, after carefully reviewing the material and witness testimony.

The anti-police brutality protests in Nigeria, which took place after a tumultuous two weeks, seemed to be an attempt to challenge the country’s culture of respect through street demonstrations and social media. This powerful movement seemed to upset those in authority.

The Court discovered solid proof of infringement of the rights to liberty and security, assembly, free speech, and dignity, as well as the disproportionate use of force. It declared that the Respondent State’s responsibilities under the African Charter were violated and that the use of force was not necessary.

Additionally, it stated that the applicants had been tortured by the Nigerian authorities. The Nigerian government failed to provide evidence to counter the court’s findings that the Lekki tollgate incident, in which live bullets were fired into a crowd of unarmed demonstrators, produced a fearful environment.

The Respondent State violated the Applicants’ rights under Articles 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter, the Court further held, by refusing to provide the Applicants their freedom of expression, assembly, and association. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the ECOWAS Revised Treaty both judged Nigeria’s duties to conflict with the government’s conduct.