The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Government to pay N10 million in damages to journalist Jide Oyekunle over his assault, detention and seizure of his mobile phone while covering the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests in Abuja.
Key Highlights:
The regional court, in a landmark judgment delivered in Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25, held Nigeria liable for violating the journalist’s fundamental rights and declared the actions of security operatives unlawful.
The case was instituted by Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France), also known as Lawyers Without Borders France, under its European Union-supported eRIGHTS project, which promotes and protects digital rights and human rights online.
Oyekunle, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Correspondents’ Chapel, was attacked by police officers on August 1, 2024, at Eagle Square, Abuja, while live-reporting the nationwide protests.
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According to the court, the assault, unlawful detention and confiscation of his mobile phone amounted to a violation of his rights guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The court held that the actions of security operatives hindered Oyekunle’s ability to report events in real time, thereby violating his right to freedom of expression as protected under Article 9 of the Charter.
It further ruled that his detention and physical assault breached his rights to personal liberty, dignity and protection from degrading treatment under Articles 5 and 6 of the Charter.
The temporary seizure of his mobile phone was also found to be a violation of his right to property under Article 14.
In its judgment, the court rejected the Nigerian government’s justification for the actions of its security personnel, holding that the measures failed the test of necessity under international human rights law and were therefore excessive and unlawful.
Reacting to the judgment, Country Director of ASF France in Nigeria, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, described the decision as a major victory for press freedom and digital rights.
“This judgment sends a clear message that a journalist’s digital tools are extensions of the modern press and newsroom, and their arbitrary confiscation by security forces is a direct assault on the public’s right to know,” she said.
She noted that the ruling strengthens emerging regional jurisprudence aimed at protecting journalists and human rights defenders documenting protests and matters of public interest.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu said ASF France would continue to monitor compliance with the judgment and provide legal support to journalists facing similar violations.
She added that the decision reinforces legal safeguards for journalism in the digital age, protects reporters from technology-driven censorship and intimidation, and serves as a warning to security agencies that attacks on journalists during public demonstrations will attract accountability.
The eRIGHTS project, funded by the European Union and implemented by ASF France in partnership with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), seeks to advance digital rights through strategic litigation, advocacy and capacity-building initiatives across Nigeria.
