ECOWAS COURTS DROPS LAWSUIT OVER NIGER SANCTIONS
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The suit filed by Prof. Bola Akinterinwa and the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) about the sanctions placed on Niger after a military coup has been dismissed by the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Judges Edward Asante, Dupe Atoki, and Sengu Koroma found that since the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) withdrew the sanctions imposed on the country, those events had taken precedence over the lawsuit.
EMA, professor of international relations Akinterinwa, and lawyer Nuhu Dantani—who claimed to have family in Nigeria and Niger—filed the lawsuit on August 8 of last year.
Olukayode Ajulo (SAN), their attorney, filed the lawsuit.
Emmanuel Patrick and Ifunanya Okeke represented the applicants.
The Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja assigned Mustapha Abubakar and Oluwarotimi Ibitoye to represent the first through third respondents. For the fourth and fifth, there was no show.
Okeke noted all of the proceedings that the applicants had submitted, such as the initial application and motions for an expedited procedure, hearing date, and discontinuance.
She requested permission from the court to move her discontinuance application.
The attorney told the court that the original application was founded on the sanctions that ECOWAS placed on Niger after the coup on July 26, 2023.
According to Okeke, the cessation was necessary since the suit’s ongoing difficulties had been superseded by events.
She claimed that the restriction on Niger’s freedom of travel has been removed and the country’s electrical supply has been restored.
The first to third responders did not raise any issues with the application or request an estimate of costs.
Consequently, the court struck out the matter.
In their appeal to the sanctions placed on Niger, the plaintiffs also claimed that any military action would be illegal and would violate pertinent international laws.
One of the penalties imposed by Nigeria was to shut off the neighbouring country’s electrical supplies in order to pressure Niger to restore democratic order.
However, on February 24, ECOWAS withdrew the sanctions, which included closing borders, seizing state and central bank assets, and immediately stopping business activities.
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