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COURT DISMISSES CASE BY A FORMER ECOWAS COMMISSION EMPLOYEE
COURT DISMISSES CASE BY A FORMER ECOWAS COMMISSION EMPLOYEE
By: Michael Mike
The ECOWAS Court has dismissed a case filed by a former employee of the ECOWAS Commission on the ground that she filed her case beyond the time limit.
Mrs. Dorothy Etim filed suit ECW/CCJ/APP/44/21, alleging that the ECOWAS Commission and its President wrongfully dismissed her on 8 September 2015. She stated that the incident was based on an allegation that she produced forged documents to access ECOWAS education grant for the benefit of her four children.
She told the Court that she was not invited by the Respondents to respond or react to the allegations of “fraud” and “forgery”. She added that she wrote several letters on the matter but did not receive any response.
Mrs. Etim asked the Court to declare her dismissal wrongful. She also prayed the Court to order the Respondents to pay her accrued salaries and entitlements and the sum of 300,000,000 naira as exemplary damages.
In its response, the ECOWAS Commission asked the Court to dismiss the case as Article 9(3) of the 2005 Supplementary Protocol provides that action by or against a Community Institution or any Member of the Community are statute-barred after three years from the date when the right of action arose.
The Commission also contended that Mrs. Etim did not follow internal processes, specifically, she did not appeal to the Head of the Institution during the mandatory time, and did not appeal to the Council of Minister. The Respondent, therefore, asked the Court to dismiss all her claims.
In the judgment the Court noted that under Article 9(3) of the Protocol of the Court (as amended), claims by or against a Community Institution or its staff are statute-barred after three years. Consequently, the Court held that since the incident occurred in 2015 and the claim filed in 2021, the claim was submitted well beyond the statutory time limit and therefore inadmissible.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma, also dismissed the Applicant’s claims of human rights violations against the ECOWAS Commission, emphasising that only Member States, not Community institutions, are recognised as parties in such matters. Furthermore, the Court dismissed the case against the President of the Commission stating that “it would be duplicitous to sue both the President and the Commission.
The ECOWAS Court is the Community Institution empowered to entertain administrative conflicts between Community institutions and their employees.
Also on the panel were Justices Dupe Atoki and Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves.https://newsng.ng/saudi-arabia-to-host-largest-ever-un-conference-on-land-and-drought/
COURT DISMISSES CASE BY A FORMER ECOWAS COMMISSION EMPLOYEE
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Cattle Rustlers in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 212 Battalion deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Tuba have arrested three suspected cattle rustlers during an operation in Karnuwa general area of Borno State.
Security sources said the operation followed intelligence provided by a local resident, Malam Muhammadu Ardo, concerning alleged cattle rustling activities within the area.
The troops reportedly mobilised to Karnuwa at about 12:30 p.m. on May 4, 2026, where they apprehended the suspects identified as Mallam Mohammad Abatcha, 28; Mallam Mamman Bukar, 18; and Malam Modu Hassan, 30.
According to the sources, the suspects were intercepted while using a pickup vehicle with registration number WW 806 GZ Delta, allegedly employed in transporting stolen cattle.
The rustled cattle were recovered and immediately handed over to their rightful owners at the scene of the arrest.
Items recovered from the suspects included a bow and arrow, three mobile phones, five national identity cards and the sum of N20,650.
Preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that the suspects admitted to repeatedly stealing and selling rustled cattle to buyers in Maiduguri.
Security sources further disclosed that investigators suspect possible links between the suspects and members of the Islamic State West Africa Province or Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad due to alleged inconsistencies observed in their statements during interrogation.
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Cattle Rustlers in Borno
Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site, Recover 600 Litres of Stolen Crude in Rivers
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 29 Battalion operating under the Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), have uncovered an illegal refining site and recovered about 600 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Security sources said the discovery was made at about 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 2026, during ongoing anti-illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.
The troops reportedly discovered the illegal refining site around Asa community, where a large cooking pot loaded with stolen crude oil was found stockpiled in sacks.
Military authorities said the recovered products and equipment were handled in accordance with operational directives guiding anti-crude oil theft operations under Operation Delta Safe.
The operation was conducted without any confrontation or security incident.
The Nigerian military has continued to intensify operations against crude oil theft, illegal refining and other forms of economic sabotage across the Niger Delta region.
Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site, Recover 600 Litres of Stolen Crude in Rivers
Troops, NDLEA Raid Drug Hideout in Katsina, Arrest Suspected Supplier to Terrorists
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Malumfashi at Kafur, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have raided a suspected drug peddlers’ hideout in Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted at about 12:30 p.m. on May 12, 2026, at Huguma village following intelligence on illicit drug activities within the area.
During the raid, troops apprehended one suspect identified as a major supplier of illicit drugs and other substances to terrorists and criminal elements operating within Kafur Local Government Area and surrounding communities.
Items recovered during the operation included 146 grams of suspected cannabis and 16.5 grams of a substance identified as Exol-5.
The suspect and the recovered drugs have since been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and necessary legal action.
Troops, NDLEA Raid Drug Hideout in Katsina, Arrest Suspected Supplier to Terrorists
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