Unic Press UK: The ECOWAS Court of Justice has dismissed a suit no ECW/CCJ/APP/06/16 filed before the Court on 3rd March 2016 by the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in which, Kanu alleged assault, torture, maltreatment, and the violation of his rights by the Nigerian government, the Court said in a press release.
Delivering judgment, Honourable Justice Dupe Atoki who read the judgment on behalf of the panel of three [with Edward Amoako Asante and Keikura Bangura as the two other judges’] dismissed the $800 million monetary compensation sought by Kanu and held that the plaintiff’s arrest and detention were not unlawful and arbitrary.
Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor in the course of the suit had claimed that his client’s rights to life, personal integrity, privacy, fair trial, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, personal liberty, freedom of association, private property, right to existence and right to self-determination were violated following his arrest and detention by agents of the Nigerian government.
In his submission, the legal counsel to the government of Nigeria, Abdullahi Abubakar said the Nigerian government had an obligation to enforce the rule of law as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Treaties and Protocol in defense of its sovereignty, accusing Kanu and IPOB of secessionist activities.
