News
ECOWAS Court Orders Togo to Remedy Violation of Citizen’s Right to Fair Trial
ECOWAS Court Orders Togo to Remedy Violation of Citizen’s Right to Fair Trial
By: Michael Mike
The ECOWAS Court of Justice, has ruled in favor of Mr. Kessei Menveinoyou, a Togolese citizen, finding that the Togolese Republic violated his right to a fair and timely appeal under Article 7(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Applicant, Mr. Kessei Menveinoyou, a driver residing in Lomé, submitted an employment dispute with the Togolese Ministry of Health to a Labour Court in Lomé in 2015. After an initial judgment by the Labour Court in favour of the Ministry, he filed an appeal in 2016.
However, according to Mr. Menveinoyou, the Registrar of the Labour Court in Lomé neglected to transmit his appeal to the appropriate appellate court for hearing, resulting in an unreasonable delay of about eight years. He contended that this inaction contravened his fundamental right to have his appeal heard within a reasonable time.
The Togolese Republic objected to the ECOWAS Court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the matter fell within Togo’s domestic legal framework. However, the Court dismissed this objection, clarifying that it has jurisdiction over cases alleging violations of international human rights instruments binding on ECOWAS member states.
In the Judgment delivered by Justice Edward Amoako Asante, the Judge Rapporteur, the Court held that as a party to the African Charter, Togo has a legal obligation to uphold the right to fair trial for all its citizens. Therefore, the failure of the Togolese judicial authorities to transmit the Applicant’s appeal to the relevant appellate court violated his right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.
The Court ordered the Togolese Republic to pay Mr. Menveinoyou Five Million CFA Francs (5,000,000 CFA) in damages. It also directed the Respondent State to take the necessary legal or administrative steps to expedite the processing and hearing of the Applicant’s appeal before the appropriate national court.
The three-member panel of the Court were Honourable Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves (presiding judge), Honorable Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara (panel member), and Honorable Justice Edward Amoako Asante (judge rapporteur).
ECOWAS Court Orders Togo to Remedy Violation of Citizen’s Right to Fair Trial
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have carried out a deadly raid in Ringa Village, located in the Ringa District of Rafi Local Government Area in Niger State, kidnapping four individuals and causing widespread damage, the state police command confirmed.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that on April 18, 2025, at approximately 1000hrs, a large group of armed bandits and insurgents, riding on motorcycles, invaded the village. During the attack, the assailants abducted four men Anas Shuaibu, Isah Kazuga, Mande Samari, and Bazama Kiwoji who were all residents of the village.
In addition to the kidnapping, the bandits set fire to the village’s electricity transformer, plunging the community into darkness. They also stole four unregistered Bajaj motorcycles that had been abandoned by their owners, who fled in fear for their lives.
Security forces are currently conducting intensive operations in a bid to rescue the kidnapped victims and apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
Pastor Killed in Armed Robbery Attack in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a pastor in Bassa Local Government Area following an armed robbery incident that occurred late Friday night.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the he victim, identified as Pastor Yohanna Bitrus, 40, was attacked and killed by unidentified assailants who also stole his motorcycle.
The report was made by a resident, who informed the police that the incident took place at about 11:20 p.m. on April 18.
Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Bassa led patrol teams to the scene, where the victim was found with a deep machete cut on his chest
Pastor Bitrus was rushed to Bassa Cottage Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the attending doctor.
Following the incident, a joint team of the military, police and other security agencies was immediately deployed into the surrounding forest in pursuit of the suspects.
Pastor Killed in Armed Robbery Attack in Plateau
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
By: Zagazola Makama
Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group operating in the Sahel, has claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on two military positions in northern Benin Republic on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
In a statement released through its propaganda channels, the group said it killed 70 Beninese soldiers during the assaults. The attacks reportedly targeted military companies stationed near the country’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Niger – regions increasingly plagued by jihadist violence.
JNIM also published images of weapons and equipment it said were captured during the attacks. Among the items allegedly seized were:
American-made M2HB heavy machine guns, Five PP87 mortars of Chinese origin, Fifty-one rocket-assisted mortar shells, Three surveillance drones, Six motorcycles, Sixty-four grenades, Seventy-eight Kalashnikov rifles, Over 300 ammunition magazines, Type 80 and W-85 machine guns, Type 81-1 rifles Type 56-1 rocket launchers, and T69-1 anti-tank projectiles.
The Beninese government has yet to issue an official statement confirming the claims. However, security sources have confirmed that military operations are ongoing in the northern region, and reinforcements have been deployed to contain the situation.
JNIM, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has expanded its activities into coastal West African states in recent years, marking a shift in its operational footprint beyond Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
Pastor Killed in Armed Robbery Attack in Plateau
EXCLUSIVE: Militia Supremacy Battle Fuels Deadly Attacks in Benue Community as 17 Killed
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