The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court of justice has ordered the government of the Republic of Benin to pay Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Igboho, 20 million CFA for “unlawful detention”.

The court ordered that the money should be paid within three months.

Igboho had on February 10, filed an application before the court challenging his arrest and detention in the French-speaking country.

Judgment in the suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/15/22 was delivered by a three-member panel of the court.

The ECOWAS court also directed the country to comply with its order and report back to the court with the evidence of payment.

BACKGROUND

In July 2021, Igboho was arrested alongside his wife, Ropo, in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and detained at the request of the Nigerian government.

The Yoruba Nation agitator had fled Nigeria after the Department of State Services (DSS) raided his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state on July 1.

Igboho had planned a ‘Yoruba nation rally’ in Lagos two days before the raid.

The raid led to the death of two people while 12 of his aides were arrested.

The DSS had alleged that Igboho was stockpiling weapons, and subsequently declared him wanted.

Attempts by the Nigerian government to repatriate him, after his arrest, were unsuccessful.

His wife was later released by the Beninese authorities.

Igboho was arraigned at the Court D’Apeal in Cotonou and was detained in a prison facility in the country.

The charges against him bordered on arms smuggling, inciting violence and calling for a secession of the Yoruba from the Nigerian state.

Igboho and his lawyers denied all allegations levelled against him.

However, fresh allegations bordering on illegal entry and criminal association, were levelled against him at the Benin Republic court.

In March 2022, he was released to his doctors under the agreement that he should not leave the medical centre or Cotonou for any reason.

In October, Yomi Aliu, Igboho’s lawyer, confirmed that his client had been released.

“Yes, he has been released. He was released yesterday. He is now in Germany,” Aliu said.

Asked to speak on the state of his release, he said “I can’t speak about it”.

The supreme court has imposed N40 million fine against Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), for filing a suit seeking the sack of Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo state.

The apex court on Tuesday dismissed the application filed by Ozekhome on behalf of Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo.

The court ruled that the application was “frivolous and highly vexatious”.

The application was raised from the outcome of the governorship election in Imo state.

Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 273,404 votes to win the 2019 governorship election.

However, on January 14, 2020, the apex court voided Ihedioha’s election and declared Uzodinma, who came fourth in the election, as the state’s duly elected governor.

Consequently, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), whose candidate came third in the election, filed an application contending that Uzodinma’s candidacy should have been nullified since the All Progressives Congress (APC) had given tickets to the governor and Uche Nwosu before he left the party to join Action Alliance (AA).

Nwosu, a governorship aspirant on the platform of APC, is the son-in-law of Rochas Okorocha, who was at the time the governor of Imo.

But Nwosu let the APC when his name did not appear on the list as the governorship candidate despite allegedly winning the primaries.

Ihedioha then applied to be joined as an interested party in the suit.

Ihedioha had premised his application on the ground that the APC did not validly nominate Uzodinma to contest the 2019 election since tickets were given to two different candidates.

The PDP and Ihedioha’s application further sought to invalidate the years that Uzodinma spent in office as the governor of Imo.

On Tuesday, the supreme court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Ihedioha.

The Kaduna state government says the Nigerian Army has accepted responsibility for the death of some residents of Tudun Birni community in Igabi LGA of the state.

According to the state government, the army said the air strike that killed the villagers was a mistake.

On Sunday, many residents were feared dead after an air strike was launched on the community. Some reports have put the death toll from the strike at over 30, with scores left injured.

However, Edward Gabkwet, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) spokesperson, said reports that NAF launched the air strike on hapless civilians was false.

Speaking on the development, Samuel Aruwan, overseeing commissioner, ministry of internal security and home affairs, in a statement on Monday after an emergency security meeting, said the incident inadvertently occurred during a routine mission against terrorists by the army.

Aruwan added that injured victims are currently receiving treatment at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital.

He said the meeting was presided over by Hadiza Balarabe, deputy governor of the state, and had heads of security agencies, religious and traditional leaders in attendance.

“The Kaduna State Government has received briefings on Sunday night’s attack which left several citizens dead and others injured,” Aruwan said.

“The Nigerian Army explained the circumstances which led to the unfortunate and unintended attack.

“The General Officer Commanding (GOC) One Division, Nigerian Army, Major VU Okoro explained that the Nigerian Army was on a routine mission against terrorists, but inadvertently affected members of the community.

“The Deputy Governor at the end of the closed door meeting, conveyed the condolences of the Government and People of Kaduna State to the families that lost their loved ones, and prayed for the repose of the victims’ souls.

“As of the time of this update, search-and-rescue efforts are still ongoing, as dozens of injured victims have been evacuated to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital by the Government.

“Heads of security agencies who attended the meeting include the Commissioner of Police, MY Garba, and Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Abdul Eneche.

“The Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of Jam’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) Professor Shafi’u Abdullahi, led other religious leaders.

“Also present at meeting was the District Head of Rigasa, Alhaji Aminu Idris, in whose domain the incident occurred.”