The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice on Friday said that it has not received any matter relating to the trial of the Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho in Benin Republic.
Speaking with journalists at the end of its one-week sensitization mission to Kwara State, the Deputy President of the Court, Justice Dupe Atoki, said the court of the 15-member West African countries only concerns itself with civil matters brought before it.
Recall that Igboho is facing criminal trial in Benin Republic for entering the country illegally and planning to foment trouble.
Commenting on Igboho, the judge said, “Obviously, there’s been no complaints about supposed Sunday Igboho before the court and for all intents and purposes, the court has no idea of who Sunday Igboho is and what’s happening to him.
“Sunday Igboho, for us on this side of the divide here we don’t know what’s that. We have no clue of who or what’s happening to Sunday Igboho.
‘’Majority of the leadership of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice are not Nigerians. I’m the only Nigerian and for judicial purposes, I have no knowledge of who Sunday Igboho is or what’s his challenge. The court is only concerned with matters that have been brought before it and if matters had not been brought before it we would just be a meddlesome interloper trying to fish out issues in public domain and we’re not teleguided by mere newspaper presentations. We don’t read newspapers for the purpose of determining whether we should intervene or not”.
The deputy president of the ECOWAS Community Court said a total of 583 cases had been received with 179 pending cases, while rulings had been delivered in 131 cases and judgments on 303 others.
Atoki also said that decisions had been passed on 21 cases, adding that 54 out of the pending cases were from Nigeria.
She also said that filing of cases in the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice was free except payment to legal representatives and making copies of the judgment.
Copyright PUNCH.
