The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Nigerian government to pay ten million Naira (about US$7,283.90) in damages for violating the rights of journalist Jide Oyekunle during his coverage of a 2024 protest.
The judgment, delivered on June 22, 2026, followed a case brought by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France).
In August 2024, Oyekunle, a photojournalist with Daily Independent, and the Chairman for the Nigerian Union of Journalists’ FCT Chapter, was physically assaulted, unlawfully detained, and had his phone seized by police while covering the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja. Oyekunle was one of many journalists attacked and abused by both state security operatives and members of the public during the protests.
At the time, However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command in August 2024 defended its action in a post on X that “Mr Jide Oyekunle was rather taken away from the perceived unsafe environment for his own safety after being advised to leave where he was standing to a safer location and he declined, as some of the protesters had suddenly become violent.”
The MFWA’s national partner organisation in Nigeria, the International Press Centre (IPC), on August 1, 2024, said at least 21 journalists were attacked or abused across at least five states (Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Cross River, and Delta) on the first day of the protests.
The Court ruled that the police’s actions suppressed Oyekunle’s live reporting, breaching his right to freedom of expression under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It said his assault and detention violated his rights to personal liberty and human dignity under Articles 6 and 5 of the African Charter, while the seizure of his phone breached his right to property under Article 14. The Court also held that Nigeria’s justification for the security forces’ conduct failed the necessity test under international law, rendering their actions excessive and unlawful.
The Media Foundation for West Africa welcomes this judgment as a significant affirmation of press freedom protections in the digital era. It reinforces that journalists’ tools and equipment are integral to their work and must not be seized. The ruling also serves as a reminder to security agencies across the region that targeting media personnel during protests carries legal consequences. The ruling further affirms the ECOWAS Court’s role as a critical safeguard for civic space and media freedom in West Africa.
