The ECOWAS Court of Justice has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Federal Government of Nigeria over the 1996 assassination of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election.
The suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/62/22, was brought before the regional court by Khalifa Abiola, Moriam Abiola, and Hadi Abiola on behalf of themselves and the estate of the late Mrs. Abiola. The applicants argued that the Nigerian government failed to hold accountable those responsible for her murder, including Sergeant Barnabas Jebila, as identified in a Commission of Inquiry report. They claimed this amounted to a violation of her fundamental human rights under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
However, in its ruling on Friday, the ECOWAS Court dismissed the case, stating that the applicants failed to provide sufficient evidence establishing their direct relationship with Kudirat Abiola or any legal mandate allowing them to sue on behalf of her estate.
The court further rejected the Federal Government’s objections, which challenged its jurisdiction to hear the case and the admissibility of the suit. While acknowledging its role in assessing human rights violations by member states, the court clarified that it does not serve as an appellate body over national court decisions.
A panel of three judges, including Hon. Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma (Presiding), Hon. Justice Gberi-bè Ouattara (Member), and Hon. Justice Edward Amoako Asante (Judge Rapporteur), delivered the ruling, declaring the case inadmissible due to the applicants’ lack of legal standing.
