By Mark Longyen
The ECOWAS Court of Justice has called on member states to cooperate with the court for the effective enforcement of its judgments especially on human rights issues.
The President of the court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, made the appeal on Wednesday in Abuja at a ceremony to mark the International Human Rights Day 2025, themed: “Human Rights, Everyday Essentials.”
He also urged all the member states to renew their dedication to the ECOWAS legal framework, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and all the international human rights agreements, which they had ratified.
Gonçalves also urged them to encourage more investment in legal and human rights education, especially for young people, to empower them to understand and defend their rights and those of others.
“The court is concerned that ECOWAS Member States are yet to implement most of its judgments.
“Without effective and total implementation of the Court’s judgments, the promise of human rights protection offered by the 2005 Supplementary Protocol becomes a mirage.
“The Court therefore calls on Member States to fully implement its judgments, ensuring that the remedies bring meaningful improvements to the lives of everyone in the Community,” he said.
The Community Court’s president also solicited the court’s continued partnerships with regional and international organisations, national institutions, civil society groups, and all human rights advocates.
He reaffirmed the court’s commitment to safeguarding the human rights of all persons within the sub-region, noting that the ECOWAS Court is the principal judicial organ of ECOWAS.
Gonçalves said the court had given several progressive judgments spanning different areas of human rights such as the rights to life, freedom from torture, expression, association, assembly, education, work, healthy environment, among others.
The judgments, he said, held member states accountable for violations of civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as third generation rights, but did not fully achieve their aims for lack of enforcement.
“ECOWAS Member States have a duty to respond to these challenges and work with other stakeholders in the region to ensure that everyone in our Community can enjoy their human rights freely and without any discrimination.
“Member States must fully and sincerely implement the court’s judgments, ensuring that the remedies bring meaningful improvements to people’s lives.
“National bodies such as courts, human rights commissions, and ombudsmen should collaborate with the Court, building a unified protection system,” he emphasised.
The court’s president further said that the civil society, the media, and human rights defenders must be respected and safeguarded, as they play a vital role in exposing abuses, supporting victims, and bringing cases to the Court.
He added that victims of human rights abuse should have genuine access to justice, without obstacles like cost, distance, language barriers, or complex procedures.
The court’s Deputy Chief Registrar, Gaye Sowe, highlighted the court’s contribution to the development of human rights jurisprudence in Africa while providing general statistics on cases and judgment implementation.
He said that of about 419 judgments that had been delivered by the court so far, 55 per cent of them were dismissed, that is, more than half were dismissed for one reason or the other.
The Keynote speaker, Prof. Muhammed Ladan, former Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, urged the states to protect citizens’ socio-economic rights as a means of preventing conflict and promoting peaceful coexistence.
“It is in the best interest of our national governments or member states of ECOWAS that they must ensure that they have mechanisms in place that are efficient and effective in the promotion and protection of human rights.
“Therefore, we need to strengthen and respect our regional economic institutions like the ECOWAS Court of Justice, so that they can guide us and also deliver in the best possible way for the benefit of all,” he said.
While stating that 90 per cent of ECOWAS court’s decisions are human rights-related, he said the court had transformed into a human rights court influencing regional economic integration and challenging national state sovereignty.
Ladan added that the court had impacted human rights jurisprudence through landmark judgments, granting community citizens access to justice, influencing national legal systems, empowering civil society, and judicial activism.(NAN)
Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani
