Activist DJ Switch has revealed that the federal government has been found guilty of violating human rights during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020. According to the activist, the federal government has been found guilty by the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Nigerian government’s actions, particularly its brutal and excessive use of force at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, were denounced by the court in a scathing verdict on Wednesday.
These actions were deemed a flagrant violation of numerous international human rights standards, including articles 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Nigerian government was ordered by the court to provide N2 million in compensation to each victim, including DJ, without holding back. Three powerful plaintiffs—DJ Switch, Perpetual Kamsi, and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka—filed the action, a serious claim against persecution. DJ Switch welcomed the ruling on her X platform on Thursday, calling the day it was rendered “one of the best days of my life since the horrific event” and expressing her immense happiness.
SEE HER TWEET BELOW:
“#ENDSARS: After a three-year battle against the Nigerian government at the ECOWAS court, justice was served yesterday! We won!
“Just like many of you, I have little to no faith in any branch of service in Nigeria but, the ECOWAS court is the highest court on the continent and while many find humor and make jokes about its chairman being the illegal president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, we forged on, hoping still, and trusting that the facts and evidence we had and presented to the court would be irrefutable.
“For those who say, “After how many years?” I want you to understand that most court cases take a long time especially one where the respondent (in this case, the Nigerian government) tries to frustrate you! Either not showing up on set court dates or asking for adjournments for lack of preparation and all other silly excuses under the sun. Still, we had to exercise patience and be steadfast in our pursuit.
“I cannot express the emotional trauma we’ve all been through and the life changes we’ve had to make but thankfully, with professional help, we’ve been able to work through it and this verdict certainly made a positive impact.
“I have never wavered once in my shared experience and I am grateful to my lawyers for presenting our experiences and evidence with tact and also grateful to the esteemed judges for doing their due diligence.
“Sitting in court yesterday and hearing the verdict from the judges indicting the Nigerian government of the crime they committed on the 20th of October, 2020 was one of the best days of my life since that horrific day and also legally vindicates us all. If no room is left for corruption to fester, the people are served.
“Barring any obstruction from the government to follow the instructions of the court, I can finally move on to other things, a passion which I hope to share with you all.
“Naysayers can scream all they want! It is now legally documented in history who the criminals were.”
