Activist DJ Switch has stated that the federal government was found guilty of human rights violations during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020. According to the activist, the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ruled the federal government guilty. The Nigerian government's actions, particularly its ruthless and excessive use of force at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, were condemned by the court in a brutal action on Wednesday.
These activities were found to be an abuse of several international human rights standards, including Articles 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The court ordered the Nigerian government to pay N2 million in compensation to each victim, including DJ, without exception. Three powerful plaintiffs—DJ Switch, Perpetual Kamsi, and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka—filed the action, which is a severe accusation of persecution. DJ Switch celebrated the judgement on her X platform on Thursday, calling it "one of the best days of my life since the horrific event" and expressing her heartfelt joy.
She wrote;
#ENDSARS: Justice was served yesterday at the ECOWAS court, following a three-year battle against the Nigerian government! We won! "Like many of you, I have little to no faith in any branch of service in Nigeria, but the ECOWAS court is the continent's highest court, and while many find humour and make jokes about its chairman being Nigeria's illegal president, Bola Tinubu, we forged ahead, hoping and trusting that the facts and evidence we had and presented to the court would be irrefutable.
For those who ask, "After how many years?" I want you to understand that most court cases take a long time, especially when the respondent (in this case, the Nigerian government) attempts to thwart you! Either failing to appear on scheduled court dates or requesting adjournments due to a lack of preparedness, among other ridiculous excuses. Still, we had to be patient and steadfast in our pursuit. "I can't express the emotional trauma we've all been through or the life changes we've had to make, but thankfully, with professional help, we've been able to work through it, and this verdict has definitely had a positive impact."
To those who wonder, "After how many years?" I want you to understand that most court matters take a long time, especially when the respondent (in this case, the Nigerian government) tries to obstruct you! Failure to appear on planned court dates or asking adjournments owing to insufficient preparation, among other ludicrous excuses. We still needed to remain patient and unwavering in our fight. "I can't express the emotional trauma we've all been through or the life changes we've had to make, but thankfully, with professional help, we've been able to work through it, and this verdict has definitely had a positive impact."
SEE HER TWEET BELOW:
