The ECOWAS Court of Justice has directed the Nigerian government to release businessman Moses Abiodun, who has been held in detention without trial since 2009.

 

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, the court also awarded Abiodun N20 million in compensation, citing multiple breaches of his fundamental human rights.

 

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abiodun filed the suit (ECW/CCJ/APP/56/22), alleging he was arrested in November 2008 by officers of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). He claimed he was initially held for five months without charge before being remanded by a Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State in March 2009—yet has never been formally charged, tried, or convicted over the past 16 years.

 

Abiodun argued that his extended detention violated his rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international human rights treaties Nigeria is bound by.

 

In its defense, the Nigerian government disputed the claims, questioning the legitimacy of the remand order and the admissibility of the case.

 

Delivering the verdict, the court ruled that the prolonged detention constituted a serious violation of Abiodun’s rights to liberty and fair trial under Article 6 and Article 7(1)(d) of the African Charter, as well as Articles 9 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

 

The court further found that his detention amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment and violated his right to freedom of movement.

 

The panel of three judges was led by the court’s Vice President, Justice Sengu Koroma. The judgment was delivered by Justice Edward Asante, with Justice Gbéri-bè Ouattara also serving on the panel.

 

The court ordered Abiodun’s immediate release and the payment of N20 million in damages by the Nigerian government.