Authorities of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on Friday said that it has not received any matter relating to the trial of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
This is contrary to reports that the embattled agitator had dragged the government of Republic of Benin before the Community Court of Justice, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja over alleged human rights violations.
It was reported that Benin Republic had ‘renewed’ the incarceration of the embattled agitator for another six months.
Checks show that the 49-year-old agitator has spent over 220 days in Benin Republic prison.
Many supporters especially in diaspora have lamented about the continuous detention of Igboho ‘without trial’.
Since Igboho was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic on July 19 after he fled Nigeria when his Ibadan home was invaded by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), his extradition has been hanging in balance.
The legal battle to either extradite Igboho to Nigeria or hand him back his freedom has witnessed a series of dramatic twists and turns.
The court on July 27 last year, ordered that he should be remanded in a facility in the country, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting to the renewed incarceration, Igboho reportedly asked the regional court to award him $1million as general damages for each day he had been imprisoned in the country.
Ojaomo, in the application dated February 10, 2022, sought an order for the immediate and unconditional release of Igboho, along with his Nigerian passport, pending litigation and determination on damages.
Igboho’s counsel said the application is brought under Article 3(4) of the 2005 Supplementary Protocol A/SP.1/01/05, by which “the court has jurisdiction to determine (the) case of violation of human rights that occurs in any member state.”
But reacting on Friday, the Deputy President of the Court, Justice Dupe Atoki, alongside other members of the team, said that the Court of the 15-member West African countries only concerns itself with civil matters brought before it.
“Obviously, there has been no complaint about Sunday Igboho before the court and for all intents and purposes, the court has no idea of who Sunday Igboho is and what is happening to him.
“The court is only concerned with matters that have been brought before it and if matters had not been brought before it, we would just be a meddlesome interloper trying to fish out issues in public domain,” Atoki said.