Abuja: The ECOWAS Court has pledged to deepen its engagement with the subregion’s youths and academic institutions to ensure a robust legal culture of justice, human rights, and rule of law. The President of the Court, Justice Ricardo Gonçalves, announced this initiative at the conclusion of the maiden edition of the Moot Court competition held by the Community Court on Saturday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the event, which started on Wednesday, carried the theme: ‘Promoting Regional Integration and Human Rights through Judicial Processes in West Africa.’ The competition gathered West African law students to simulate proceedings before the court, providing them firsthand exposure to the workings of an international tribunal and a chance to refine their advocacy skills.
Justice Gonçalves stated that the community court has decided to make the competition an annual flagship program. Future editions of the competition are planned to include universities from all ECOWAS member states to truly reflect t
he bloc’s diversity and unity. Through such engagement, the court aims to demystify its work and foster a regional legal culture that values justice, human rights, cooperation, and rule of law.
In a vote of thanks, the court’s Vice President, Justice Sengu Koroma, explained that the event aimed to create a platform for legal education, engagement, and excellence among the region’s future legal minds. Mooting, he noted, serves as a portal for students to immerse themselves in the ethical considerations and protocols of a real courtroom environment.
Koroma praised the participating universities and students for their intellect, composure, and advocacy, which made the institutions proud and instilled great hope in the future of regional justice. He commended the students for their hard work, participation, dedication, and legal acumen, which contributed to the success of the moot competition. He expressed hopes that the competition would foster a lifelong commitment to justice alongside legal proficiency.
The
highpoint of the event was the announcement of the winners and the awarding of certificates in various categories. Two Nigerian universities, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and University of Jos, secured the overall best prize and runner-up prize, taking home N5 million and N3 million respectively. Nicholas Ochojila and Diretkinan Dashi from the University of Jos expressed their gratitude to the ECOWAS Court for the opportunity, noting that their university narrowly missed the top position by just one point and produced the overall best oralist award winner, Ochojila.
