News
ECOWAS Court Fines Sierra Leone $25,000 for Violent Police Crackdown on Demonstrating Students
ECOWAS Court Fines Sierra Leone $25,000 for Violent Police Crackdown on Demonstrating Students
By: Michael Mike
The ECOWAS Court of Justice has ordered the Republic of Sierra Leone to pay $25,000 as compensation to Mohamed Morlu, a Sierra Leone citizen, for violating his fundamental human rights.
Morlu had sued the Republic of Sierra Leone after he sustained a gunshot wound during a students’ protest in March 2017, at which officers of the Sierra Leonean police force fired shots to disperse the demonstrators.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Edward Amoako Asante declared that the Respondent state violated Mr. Morlu’s right to security of the person, freedom from torture, the right to an effective remedy contrary to the provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture.
The Court ordered that the government must pay for any upcoming surgery needed to remove the bullet from the gunshot, which is still stuck in the Applicant’s abdomen. In addition, the Court ruled that the government must quickly investigate, find, and prosecute the officers who shot the Applicant during the student protest and take measures to properly train its law enforcement officers on crowd control.
Morlu was a student at Njala University in Bo City, Sierra Leone, in March 2017 when a four-month strike by lecturers at the University disrupted academic work. On 23 March 2017, students at the University went on a third protest march to present their grievances to the Ministry of Education. In an attempt to disperse the demonstrators, officers from the Operation Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police Force fired shots into the crowd, injuring Morlu and other students.
Morlu was hospitalized, underwent surgery, and later sought medical treatment in Ghana due to complications from the bullet.
In its defense to the suit at the ECOWAS Court, the Respondent State asserted that the protesting students blocked roads and obstructed traffic. The police tried to contain the situation but were met with resistance from the students, some of whom pelted the police with stones. In the ensuing escalation, the police fired some warning shots, one of which accidentally injured the Applicant. The Respondent, therefore, denied that it violated Mr. Morlu’s human rights.
In the judgment, the Court rejected the Respondent’s claim that Morlu was injured accidentally, finding that the firing of live ammunition into the crowd of protesting students by the police was unjustified. The Court also upheld the Applicant’s case that he suffered torture and that the Respondent failed to provide effective redress by investigating, identifying, and prosecuting the perpetrators.
The panel of judges were Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Judge Rapporteur for the case, and Justices Gberi-Bè Ouattara and Sengu M. Koroma.
ECOWAS Court Fines Sierra Leone $25,000 for Violent Police Crackdown on Demonstrating Students
News
Two Forest Security Guard Members arrested in Ogun for extortion, illegal possession of firearms
Two Forest Security Guard Members arrested in Ogun for extortion, illegal possession of firearms
By: Zagazola Makama
Two men claiming to be members of the Nigeria Forest Security Services (NFSS) have been arrested in Sagamu, Ogun State, for illegal possession of firearms and extortion of motorists.
Zagazola Makama report that the arrest was made on Dec. 28, 2025, at about 8:32 p.m. following a report that three men dressed in security uniforms were sighted along Ikenne Road, near the NYSC Orientation Camp, collecting money from motorists while visibly armed with hunter-style guns.
Upon receiving the information, operatives from the Sagamu Division raced to the scene and apprehended two suspects: Emmanuel Idu, 55, and Sunday Moses, 35. A third suspect, identified as Oyilo David, 35, fled the scene and is currently at large.
During preliminary interrogation, the arrested men claimed to be attached to the Sagamu NFSS unit operating along Agbele Road by Otunba Gbenga Daniel Market. They also stated that the locally fabricated guns recovered from them were issued by a Commander Kehinde Joseph, allegedly supervising their operations.
In addition to the firearms, security operatives recovered one unexpended cartridge and the sum of ₦1,000 in ₦200 denominations from the suspects.
Authorities disclosed that one of the suspects had previously been implicated in a motorcycle theft case in Abeokuta, where the stolen motorcycle was recovered, and charges were filed in court.
The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Abeokuta, for further investigation.
Two Forest Security Guard Members arrested in Ogun for extortion, illegal possession of firearms
Troops neutralise key Boko Haram commanders in Bama airstrikes
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, supported by Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force platforms, have neutralised several key Boko Haram terrorist commanders during coordinated airstrikes in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the airstrikes were conducted on Dec. 25, 2025, following actionable human intelligence on terrorist movements in the area.
According to the sources, no fewer than 10 Boko Haram terrorists were killed in the initial airstrike. Those neutralised included Abul Kaka, Ibn Mu’azu, Abu Muhammad, Ba Alhaji, Bakura, Modu, Abu Hassan, Kaka Alai, Abba Yakariye and Bamusa.
The sources further disclosed that another terrorist, identified as Ubaida, sustained serious injuries during the strike.
The sources added that a subsequent follow-up strike by Nigerian Air Force assets led to the instant killing of three additional terrorists.
Security sources confirmed that the majority of the neutralised fighters were loyal to Bafu, a notorious Boko Haram commander operating in the Bama axis.
An assessment of the operation indicated a significant degradation of Boko Haram’s fighting capability in Bama, particularly among elements under Bafu’s command, as a direct outcome of the sustained air campaign.
The sources noted that while the general security situation in the area remains calm, it is still considered unpredictable due to the fluid nature of insurgent activities.
Troops neutralise key Boko Haram commanders in Bama airstrikes
IPOB attack Enugu police patrol team, kill two officers and seize firearms
By: Zagazola Makama
Two police inspectors have been killed and three rifles stolen following an attack on a Distress Response Squad (DRS) patrol along Zik Avenue by Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital in Enugu State.
Zagazola gathered that the incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2025, when six armed men, suspected to be members of IPOB/ESN, operating in an ash-coloured Lexus RX 350 SUV, attacked and set ablaze the patrol Hilux vehicle.
The sources identified the slain officers as Inspectors Valentine Iheme and Ani Anayo, both members of the DRS team. The assailants carted away three AK-47 rifles with 30 rounds of live ammunition each.
According to the sources, all tactical teams and assets of the command have been activated and deployed in pursuit of the suspects, with a view to neutralising them and recovering the stolen firearms.
The sources said that the Enugu State Police Command has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
IPOB attack Enugu police patrol team, kill two officers and seize firearms
Notorious drug peddler killed during police raid in Katsina
Two Forest Security Guard Members arrested in Ogun for extortion, illegal possession of firearms
Troops neutralise key Boko Haram commanders in Bama airstrikes
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