The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ruled that Nigerian businessman Moses Abiodun must be freed immediately after enduring sixteen years in detention without trial.
Shockingly, authorities never formally charged him despite arresting him in 2008. The court also awarded him 20 million naira as compensation for this grave injustice.
Abiodun’s ordeal began when SARS operatives arrested him in November 2008. Five months later, a Lagos magistrate court issued a remand order, yet no trial followed. Year after year, he remained behind bars, his case ignored while his life slipped away in legal limbo.
When the case reached the ECOWAS Court, Nigeria’s government tried to dismiss it, challenging the remand warrant’s validity. However, the judges rejected these arguments, firmly stating they had jurisdiction. They then examined how Abiodun’s rights had been trampled for nearly two decades.
In a landmark judgment, the court declared Nigeria violated multiple international human rights laws. His detention breached the African Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protect liberty and fair trials. Keeping him jailed without charges, the court said, amounted to cruel and inhuman treatment.
The ruling emphasized that locking someone up indefinitely without trial is itself a punishment—one that destroys lives.
Abiodun lost sixteen years, but the court’s decision finally acknowledges this wrong. It orders his release and demands Nigeria pay him reparations for his stolen time.
This case exposes deep flaws in Nigeria’s justice system, where detainees can vanish for years without recourse. Sadly, Abiodun’s suffering is not unique—many others endure similar fates in overcrowded prisons. The ECOWAS verdict sends a clear message: governments cannot ignore human rights with impunity.
Moving forward, Nigeria must reform its pretrial detention practices to prevent such abuses. Swift trials, proper legal representation, and judicial oversight are essential. Until then, more innocent people will suffer like Abiodun, trapped in a system that forgets them. His long-delayed freedom offers hope, but real change requires action.
