Obianuju Catherine Udeh, professionally known as DJ Switch, has described Wednesday’s pronouncement of guilt by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice on the Nigerian government over the 2020 #EndSARS protest at the Lekki tollgate as “a glimmer of hope” that Nigeria can indeed head in the right direction in service of the truth and justice.
Udeh said this while reacting to the ECOWAS Court’s judgement that the Nigerian government used “disproportionate force” in its response to the #EndSARS protest at the tollgate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, and that live rounds were shot into the crowd of unarmed protesters.
Switch left Nigeria on exile following threats to her life after the #EndSARS protest
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“Not once did I waver in my shared experience of the traumatic events of the 20th of October, 2020 but to sit in court and listen to the esteemed judges, based on the facts, give a ruling in our favour not only reaffirms what I know and experienced but makes this one of the best days of my life since the horrific event,” said Udeh, who gained international prominence after her Instagram live exposed the military’s unprovoked attack on unarmed protesters.
“This judgement becomes a glimmer of hope that we can indeed head in the right direction in service of the truth and justice.”
READ ALSO: PORTRAITS OF BLOOD (II): Names, Photos, Videos… How Lekki #EndSARS Protesters Were Massacred
In a judgement delivered on Wednesday by Justice Koroma Mohamed Sengu, the Judge Rapporteur, the ECOWAS Court said it found credible evidence of disproportionate use of force and violations of the right to liberty and security, assembly, free speech, and dignity. It stated that the use of force was not necessary and contravened the Respondent State’s obligations under the African Charter.
The court also agreed that the applicants had suffered torture at the hands of the Nigerian government. It added that the situation at the Lekki tollgate, where live rounds were shot into the crowd of unarmed protesters, created a situation of fear, and the Nigerian government did not present evidence refuting those allegations.
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The court further held that the government failed to allow and afford the applicants their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association, therefore violating the applicants’ rights under Articles 9, 10 and 11 of the African Charter.
The court held that the quasi-mechanism set up by the government to investigate the allegations of abuse at the Lekki toll gate lacked independence and was questionable.
It therefore ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to pay N2 million each in compensation to the applicants.
It also mandated the Nigerian government to conduct investigations into the human rights abuses, with a view to implementing the outcomes of said investigations.
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