The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pay N10 million in damages to journalist Jide Oyekunle  over his unlawful arrest, detention, assault, and seizure of personal property while covering the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest in Abuja.

The judgment, delivered on June 22, 2026, in Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25, followed a case filed by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France) under its European Union-supported eRIGHTS project, which promotes digital and human rights protections.

Oyekunle, a reporter with Independent Newspaper and Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, was arrested by armed police officers at Eagle Square on August 1, 2024. During the incident, his camera was damaged and his mobile phone confiscated while he was reporting on the nationwide protests.

The court agreed with the applicant’s counsel, Collins Maidoh-Anene, that the actions of the Nigerian Police violated international human rights standards. It found Nigeria liable for breaching Oyekunle’s rights to freedom of expression, personal liberty, dignity, and property as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

According to the ruling, the seizure of the journalist’s phone and disruption of his live coverage unlawfully restricted his right to freedom of expression, while his assault and detention amounted to violations of his rights to liberty and protection from degrading treatment.

Reacting to the judgment, ASF France described the ruling as a significant victory for press freedom, noting that journalists’ digital tools are essential to modern news reporting and should not be arbitrarily confiscated.

Oyekunle welcomed the decision, saying it reaffirmed the rights of journalists to perform their duties without intimidation and underscored the importance of accountability in a democratic society.