The court further held that the assault and detention violated Articles 5 and 6 of the African Charter, which protect the rights to dignity, freedom from degrading treatment and personal liberty.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to pay N10 million in damages to a journalist, Jide Oyekunle, after finding that security operatives violated his fundamental rights while he was covering the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja.
The judgement, delivered on June 22, 2026, followed a suit filed by Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France), also known as Lawyers Without Borders France, under its European Union-supported eRIGHTS project.
According to ASF France, in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, the regional court held Nigeria liable for violating Oyekunle’s rights to freedom of expression, personal liberty, dignity and property after he was assaulted, unlawfully detained and had his mobile phone confiscated while carrying out his professional duties.
Oyekunle, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Correspondents’ Chapel, was reportedly covering the August 1, 2024 #EndBadGovernance protest at Eagle Square in Abuja when police officers attacked and detained him.
