ECOWAS Court of Justice He has lamented what he described as “the poor application of his decisions.”
Edward Asante, president of the court, said in Abuja that 70 percent of the court’s rulings are being disobeyed across the sub-region.
“The effectiveness of the court has been limited by the misapplication of its decisions.”
Mr. Asante spoke Monday at the inauguration of the new court building in Abuja.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in August 2022 how the Abuja-based ECOWAS Commission was flouting the court’s 2016 verdict.
The ECOWAS Commission breached the order of its regional court regarding the payment of a court debt of some 400 million naira to a company, Vision Kam-Jay Investment Limited.
Similarly, in July 2021, the court ordered the Nigerian government to pay a journalist, Agba Jalingo, 30 million naira as compensation for torturing him while detained in Cross River State.
A non-profit organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had sued the Nigerian state on behalf of Mr. Jalingo.
“Agba Jalingo was detained and chained to a freezer for about 34 days without being charged, brutalized and dehumanized,” SERAP had argued in court.
Court requests support from FCT minister
The president of the court requested financial support from the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to offset the rent for the new office space.
Mr. Asante said that the court contributes to the promotion of regional peace and stability through the exercise of its human rights jurisdiction.
He recalled a decade-long commitment to the Nigerian government to secure a replacement court accommodation due to the unsuitability of its previous headquarters in the Wuse area of Abuja.
ECOWAS Commission Chairman Omar Touray praised the Nigerian government for its support for the effective operations of community institutions.
He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his personal commitment to the regional body.
Mr. Touray expressed his hope that the new office will provide the court with the necessary resources and facilities to function efficiently.
It said the court would temporarily occupy the new office space pending the delivery of its new headquarters in 2025.