The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, said the ECOWAS Court plays a critical role in promoting legal accountability and curbing impunity in the region, noting that enforcing its decisions remains a challenge due to the sovereign nature of member states and their varying political contexts.

Alogba said that political diversity is a major obstacle in the enforcement of ECOWAS Court judgments, which remain a topical issue affecting the court’s effectiveness.

The Chief Judge made the remarks while receiving the ECOWAS Court President during a preparatory mission for the court’s External Session and sensitisation campaign, scheduled to take place in Lagos from May 5 to 7 and May 8 to 16, respectively.

He commended the ECOWAS Court for its work in the region and described the visit as a welcome opportunity for institutional engagement and collaboration.

Alogba said that the ECOWAS Court plays a critical role in promoting legal accountability and curbing impunity in the region, but enforcing its decisions remains a challenge due to the sovereign nature of member states and their varying political contexts.

He reverberated the past leaders of the court in decrying the situation. The current President of the Court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, in April, identified the non-enforcement of the court’s judgments and the failure to operationalise its arbitration jurisdiction as some of the major challenges confronting the institution.

He stressed that international charters must be respected once ratified and emphasised the importance of regional judicial bodies like the ECOWAS Court in upholding justice, even when enforcement powers are limited.

According to him, international charters must be respected once ratified, and the existence of judicial bodies like the ECOWAS Court plays a vital role in ensuring legal accountability and curbing impunity, even when direct enforcement mechanisms are limited.

Justice Alogba therefore commended the ECOWAS Court for its work in the region and described the visit as a welcome opportunity for institutional engagement and collaboration.

He also provided an update on the structure and recent developments within the Lagos State Judiciary, including infrastructural challenges following the destruction of the High Court during the #EndSARS protests.

However, responding to the Chief Judge, Justice Gonçalves agreed with the CJ on the enforcement challenges and reaffirmed the court’s commitment to its mandate.

He said the court’s focus on human rights cases, which make up over 80 percent of its caseload, and highlighted its broader role in interpreting ECOWAS legal instruments and providing advisory opinions.

Speaking on the withdrawal of three ECOWAS member states, Justice Gonçalves said it has reduced the number of countries under the court’s jurisdiction from 15 to 12.

He reiterated the court’s continued operations and extended an invitation to the Chief Judge to attend the court’s next judicial year opening in 2025.