The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has awarded N20million in
damages in favour of Abu Dennis Uluebeka believed to be the oldest
death row inmate in Nigeria and another ex-inmate, Mary Bahago over
rights violation.
![image](/2020/11/spaajibade2.jpg")
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The three-member panel of the court held the applicants were
subjected to torture while in custody, which it said violated
Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and
sections 17(2) and 36(6) of the Nigerian Constitution.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
The justices however ruled that the applicants failed to prove
the relief that their medical needs were neglected by the Federal
Government.
90-year-old Uluebeka spent 17 years in a custodial centre in
Lagos after he was convicted for murder in 2003.
He was released in 2019 by the Amnesty Committee on Prerogative
of Mercy of the Federal Government on grounds of ill-heath.
Uluebeka then sued at the ECOWAS court, demanding N50million
reparation over the long years of imprisonment under what he termed
cruel, degrading and inhuman condition among others.
On her part, 50-year-old Bahago spent 20 years in Custodial
Centre in Suleja, Niger following her conviction for murder, which
resulted from a fight.
The Amnesty Committee commuted her death sentence to life
imprisonment.
The applications were filed on their behalf by a group, the
Centre for Peace and Conflict Management in Africa (CPCMA).
They claimed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had during the
National Economic Summit in February 2018 pronounced the need for
the execution of death row inmates in April 2018 as a means of
decongesting the prisons.
The applicants stated that the Vice President’s position was
re-echoed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami in April 2018.
The applicants claimed that the comments put them in constant
fear for their lives, adding that they received several threats of
secret execution from the security agencies.
Lawyer to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Unyime Ebuk, urged
the regional court to strike out the case for lack of coherence in
the applicants’ reliefs, adding that their claims could not be
substantiated.
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has awarded N20million in
damages in favour of Abu Dennis Uluebeka believed to be the oldest
death row inmate in Nigeria and another ex-inmate, Mary Bahago over
rights violation.
The three-member panel of the court held the applicants were
subjected to torture while in custody, which it said violated
Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and
sections 17(2) and 36(6) of the Nigerian Constitution.
The justices however ruled that the applicants failed to prove
the relief that their medical needs were neglected by the Federal
Government.
90-year-old Uluebeka spent 17 years in a custodial centre in
Lagos after he was convicted for murder in 2003.
He was released in 2019 by the Amnesty Committee on Prerogative
of Mercy of the Federal Government on grounds of ill-heath.
Uluebeka then sued at the ECOWAS court, demanding N50million
reparation over the long years of imprisonment under what he termed
cruel, degrading and inhuman condition among others.
On her part, 50-year-old Bahago spent 20 years in Custodial
Centre in Suleja, Niger following her conviction for murder, which
resulted from a fight.
The Amnesty Committee commuted her death sentence to life
imprisonment.
The applications were filed on their behalf by a group, the
Centre for Peace and Conflict Management in Africa (CPCMA).
They claimed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had during the
National Economic Summit in February 2018 pronounced the need for
the execution of death row inmates in April 2018 as a means of
decongesting the prisons.
The applicants stated that the Vice President’s position was
re-echoed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Abubakar Malami in April 2018.
The applicants claimed that the comments put them in constant
fear for their lives, adding that they received several threats of
secret execution from the security agencies.
Lawyer to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Unyime Ebuk, urged
the regional court to strike out the case for lack of coherence in
the applicants’ reliefs, adding that their claims could not be
substantiated.