ECOWAS plans subregional rights court

Justice Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided on Tuesday to set up a regional court of justice. ‘The Guardian’ daily in Lagos reported on Wednesday that the proposed court, whose location is yet to be determined, would serve to protect nations’ rights and those of the people of the 16 ECOWAS countries. These are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo. Citizens would be able to sue their governments for perceived violation of their rights, while the institution’s brief will also include adjudicating inter-state hostilities. The decision to establish the court was taken at a meeting of ECOWAS justice ministers that ended on Tuesday in Abuja.