ECOWAS Court to rule on application against herdsmen April 22

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja has fixed April 22 to deliver judgment in a case accusing herdsmen of killings and destruction of properties of Nigerians.

In the hearing presided on Friday by the President of the court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and repertoire, Justice Januaria Tavares Silva Moreira Costa, the court adjourned the matter for judgement.

The application was brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the Federal Government of Nigeria before the regional court.

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A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), who adopted the processes, asked the court to hold the government, which has the constitutional mandate to protect lives and properties, accountable for the killings, raping, maiming of Nigerians and other residents, and destruction of property across the country by herdsmen and other unknown perpetrators.

But counsel to the federal government, Adedayo Ogundele, asked the court to dismiss the application for lack of merit.

In the suit filed on behalf of SERAP in 2016 with reference number: ECW/CCJ/APP/15/16, the CSO is contending that “the mere knowledge of the killings by the military, police, herdsmen and other unknown perpetrators on the part of the authorities have ipso facto given rise to an obligation under Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to carry out an effective investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killings and to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice, and to provide reparations to victims.”

SERAP also contends that “the Defendant has a positive obligation to take measures to secure the right to life, right to security and dignity of the human person and right to property, and to prevent attacks and killings by the military, police, herdsmen and other unknown perpetrators across Nigeria.

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