By Blessing Bature
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Nigerian government to pay N10 million in compensation to journalist Jide Oyekunle for violations of his fundamental rights arising from his arrest, assault and detention while covering a public protest in Abuja.
The judgment, delivered in Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25, followed a case instituted on Oyekunle’s behalf by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France) under its eRIGHTS initiative, a programme supported by the European Union to promote and protect digital rights.
Oyekunle, a reporter with Independent Newspaper and Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, was covering the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest at Eagle Square on August 1, 2024, when armed police officers allegedly assaulted him, detained him and confiscated his mobile phone. His camera was also damaged during the incident.
In its ruling, the regional court held that the actions of the Nigerian authorities violated several provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, including Oyekunle’s rights to freedom of expression, personal liberty, dignity and property.
The court agreed with arguments presented by the applicant’s counsel, Collins Maidoh-Anene, that the journalist’s detention and the seizure of his phone were excessive and lacked legal justification.
According to the judgment, the interference with Oyekunle’s work prevented him from transmitting live reports from the protest, thereby infringing on his right to freedom of expression.
The court further held that the assault and detention amounted to violations of his rights to personal liberty and protection from degrading treatment, while the confiscation of his phone constituted a breach of his property rights.
The court concluded that the reasons advanced by Nigerian authorities failed to meet international standards of necessity and proportionality, describing the conduct of security personnel as unlawful and excessive.
Reacting to the judgment, Country Director of Avocats Sans Frontières France, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, described the decision as a significant step in safeguarding press freedom and digital rights.
She noted that the ruling reinforces the principle that journalists’ digital devices are essential tools of modern journalism and that arbitrary interference with such tools undermines the public’s right to access information.
Uzoma-Iwuchukwu added that the decision strengthens existing legal protections for journalists and human rights defenders documenting protests and matters of public interest, while sending a warning that violations against media practitioners could attract legal consequences.
She also stated that the organisation would continue to monitor implementation of the judgment and support journalists facing similar rights abuses.
She welcomed the ruling, describing it as an important affirmation of the role of journalists in a democratic society, saying the judgment goes beyond his personal experience and serves as a victory for media professionals and citizens who rely on freedom of expression and access to information.
