The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ruled that the Nigerian government must pay ₦10 million to Glory Okolie, a student, for her unlawful detention and mistreatment by the police.
The judgment, given on Thursday, November 21, 2024, said the government violated Okolie’s human rights and must take steps to stop similar abuses in the future.
Beyond Boders recalls that Okolie was arrested on June 13, 2021, and held in police custody without legal approval.
During her detention, she faced forced labour, physical abuse, and was denied access to a lawyer. These claims were made by Okolie, the One Love Foundation, and the Incorporated Trustees of Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation in the case they filed against the government.
The applicants said these actions broke laws in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the ECOWAS Treaty. They demanded justice and compensation for the suffering Okolie endured.
The government argued that Okolie was linked to the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which it considers a terrorist group. It said her detention was necessary for national security.
Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, delivering the ruling, said Okolie’s long detention without court approval violated her rights to freedom and fair trial under Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter. The court described her treatment as an outright abuse of human rights.
“The court, therefore, ordered the government to cease all forms of harassment against her,” Justice Gonçalves stated during the judgment.
The court also ordered the government to pay ₦10 million in damages, and emphasized the need for measures to prevent similar incidents.
However, the court dismissed the claims brought by the two supporting human rights organizations due to legal technicalities.
The case was heard by a three-member panel, including Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (presiding judge), Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma, and Justice Edward Amoako Asante.
