Abuja — The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ruled that the Nigerian government violated the right to a fair hearing of 98-year-old Lagos resident Mr. Kolawole O. A. Koiki and awarded him ₦5 million in damages.
In a judgment rendered virtually on November 17, 2025, a three-member panel found that Nigeria failed to ensure a timely process for Koiki’s petition with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The court concluded that the government’s delay — particularly its failure to reconstitute the NHRC’s Governing Council between 2015 and 2021 — breached his right to have his case heard within a reasonable time as guaranteed under Article 7(1)(d) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Koiki had been contesting the military takeover of his shares in the New Nigeria Salt Company, which was nationalized in 1978. His legal team, led by Femi Falana, SAN, argued that the decades-long delay not only denied him justice but threatened to leave him without closure in his lifetime.
Although he initially sought ₦5 billion in reparations, the court awarded ₦5 million, stating that the amount reflects both the severity of the rights violation and the principle of equitable compensation.
Beyond monetary reparation, the court ordered the Nigerian government to immediately restart and conclude the NHRC investigation into Koiki’s complaint without further delay.