The ECOWAS Court of Justice has delivered a landmark judgement in favour of a Nigerian businessman, Moses Abiodun, who was detained without trial for over 16 years, awarding him N20 million in damages.
The ruling, which came on 15th May 2025, was secured by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers without Borders France) under its EU-funded Strengthening National Actors’ Capacity for Ending Severe Human Rights Violations (SAFE) project.
In a press release on 19th May 2025 by ASF France, Mr. Abiodun was arrested in November 2008 by operatives of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
He was initially held for five months without charge before a Magistrate Court in Lagos State issued a remand order on 23rd March 2009. Since then, he remained in detention with no formal charge, trial, or conviction until AS France took up his case.
In the judgement delivered in the case of Moses Abiodun v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (Application No. ECW/CCJ/APP/56/22), the ECOWAS Court held that Mr. Abiodun’s prolonged detention constituted a gross violation of his fundamental human rights.
The Court found that the detention breached multiple provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory. It also dismissed the Nigerian government’s objections on the admissibility of the case and the authenticity of the remand warrant.
Speaking at a closed-door media briefing, ASF France’s Country Director in Nigeria, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, stated, “This decision is a powerful reaffirmation of the fundamental rights to liberty, due process, and fair trial. No individual should languish in detention without being charged or tried before a court of competent jurisdiction.
This case exposes critical systemic failures in the justice system and underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reform to protect against arbitrary detention in Nigeria and across the region. The judgment marks a significant step toward justice and accountability, while also reinforcing the critical importance of regional judicial mechanisms in upholding human rights when national systems fall short.”
The intervention was made possible through ASF France’s SAFE project, which is implemented in collaboration with national stakeholders. The project aims to enhance the capacity of national legal and institutional actors to prevent and respond to serious human rights violations, particularly those affecting vulnerable or marginalised groups.