MAN FREED AFTER 16-YEAR DETENTION, NIGERIA TO PAY N20M

A Nigerian businessman, Moses Abiodun, has been freed after spending over 16 years in detention without trial, a case the ECOWAS Court has ruled a gross violation of human rights. Arrested in 2008 by officers of the now defunct SARS, Abiodun was held without charge, trial, or conviction for over a decade and a half.

The landmark judgment, delivered May 15, 2025, came after international NGO Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF France) intervened under its EU-funded SAFE project. The court awarded Abiodun N20 million in damages and dismissed the Nigerian government’s objections.

The decision shines a light on deep-rooted flaws in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, where pre-trial detentions are widespread. It also reaffirms the role of regional courts in delivering justice when national systems fail.