The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has awarded N21 million in damages against the Republic of Ghana in favour of a Ghanaian-born woman whose passport was revoked after she married a Nigerian.
The court ruled that the country’s actions violated her fundamental rights to nationality and freedom of movement.
The judgment was delivered in the case of Mary Omerere v. Republic of Ghana (Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/25/25), an application filed before the regional court in May 2025.
The court held that Ghana’s administrative actions unlawfully deprived Mary Omerere of her nationality rights, rendered her effectively stateless, and prevented her from entering her country of birth.
Samuel Ihensekhien, lead counsel to the applicant, who represented Omerere alongside S. M. Oyeghe and Mike Ezeobi under the auspices of the League of Public Interest Lawyers, briefed journalists after the judgment, describing the decision as a landmark victory for human rights and the protection of citizenship across West Africa.
