Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has sued the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, seeking US$10 million in damages over alleged violations of his fundamental rights during successive military administrations between the 1980s and 1990s.
Falana filed the case, numbered ECW/CCJ/APP/30/2026, as he asks the regional court to examine a series of incidents involving alleged arrests, detention, restrictions on his movement, seizure of documents and other actions that he says violated rights protected under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Also read: Xenophobia: Falana urges sanctions over South Africa attacks
The senior lawyer is seeking declarations concerning alleged violations of his rights to personal liberty, dignity, fair hearing, property and freedom of movement. He is also asking the court to award him US$10 million in compensation.
The claims remain allegations at this stage and have not been determined by the ECOWAS Court.
According to Falana’s application, his encounters with state authorities began during his National Youth Service Corps programme in Oyo State between 1982 and 1983.
Falana said he represented University of Ibadan students who had been charged with conspiracy and attempted murder following a dispute involving the university’s vice-chancellor.
He alleged that the NYSC authorities subsequently withheld his discharge certificate because he had represented the students without official permission.
The application goes on to detail several confrontations with security authorities during Nigeria’s military era.
Falana alleged that he was arrested by security agents on June 8, 1985, at the Lagos State High Court and subsequently detained for seven weeks.
He said the detention took place at the former National Security Organisation facility at 15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
He also alleged that he was abducted from his Lagos residence in the early hours of April 8, 1990, by individuals he identified as officials of the State Security Service.
According to the application, Falana said he was driven towards the Lagos-Epe road before being abandoned in a bush and later making his way to Epe.
He alleged that the military authorities declined his request for an investigation, while the SSS denied involvement.
Another aspect of the case concerns an alleged restriction on his international travel in 1991.
Falana said security authorities prevented him from travelling to Harare, Zimbabwe, to attend a human rights conference and seized his international passport, which he alleged was retained for six months.
He said his paper was subsequently delivered at the conference by fellow human rights lawyer Olisa Agbakoba, SAN.
The application also refers to Falana’s arrests and prosecution during the turbulent political period surrounding the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He alleged that he and other activists were arrested and prosecuted over their opposition to the annulment, with allegations including conspiracy, sedition and unlawful assembly cited in proceedings during the period.
Falana has also referred to former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida’s 2025 memoir, A Journey in Service, in which Babangida acknowledged that Moshood Abiola won the 1993 presidential election.
Falana’s application argues that the admission is relevant to the historical circumstances surrounding the prosecution of activists who challenged the annulment.
He further contends that there has been no adequate apology or redress for the alleged violations associated with those events.
The lawyer’s claims extend beyond individual arrests. He is asking the ECOWAS Court to consider alleged periods of detention at several facilities, including the former NSO facility in Lagos, Kuje Correctional Centre, an Immigration Service detention facility at Alagbon in Ikoyi, an SSS facility at 15 Awolowo Road and Hadejia Correctional Centre in Jigawa State.
He is also asking the court to determine whether the alleged seizure of his NYSC discharge certificate and international passport amounted to violations of his property rights under the African Charter.
The suit cites several provisions of the African Charter, including protections relating to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, property and freedom of movement.
Falana’s case comes against the backdrop of his long career in human rights advocacy.
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1982 and has spent decades representing activists, political detainees and other individuals in cases involving civil liberties and public accountability.
The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has previously considered cases involving alleged human rights violations by Nigerian authorities, including claims concerning detention and treatment in custody.
Its rulings can provide regional remedies where the court finds violations established under applicable human rights instruments.
In the present case, however, no finding has yet been made against Nigeria.
Falana is asking the regional court to determine whether the actions described in his application breached his rights and, if so, to grant the declarations and compensation sought.
The Federal Government’s response to the claims will form part of the legal process as the case proceeds.
Also read: Xenophobia: Falana urges sanctions over South Africa attacks
For Falana, the lawsuit represents an attempt to obtain judicial consideration of events that he says shaped his career as a human rights lawyer and activist more than three decades ago.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
