Human rights advocate and child rights activist, Comrade Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho, has called on the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to urgently hear his application for release from detention, alleging ongoing violations of his fundamental rights by Nigerian authorities.
In a letter dated August 11, 2025, addressed to the Chief Registrar of the ECOWAS Court in Abuja, Aghogho’s legal counsel, Andrew N. Elekeokwuri Esq., urged the Court to fix a hearing date immediately after its vacation — preferably September 17 or 18, 2025 — for an application filed since July 7, 2025.
The application, made under Articles 80, 81, and 82 of the Court’s Rules, seeks urgent measures of protection, including Aghogho’s immediate release from the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Warri.
The letter alleged that Aghogho’s detention stems from proceedings in Federal High Court, Warri (Suit No. FHC/WR/92C/2022), where he faces a federal charge of cyberstalking.
According to the applicant, the prosecution was initiated by the Delta State Attorney-General without lawful federal prosecutorial authority or the required consent of the Attorney-General of the Federation — a move his lawyers say contravenes Sections 174 and 211 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 104 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Elekeokwuri further pointed out that in the Defendant’s (Federal Government of Nigeria) statement of defence filed on July 31, 2025, the Federal Government admitted that the Attorney-General of the Federation was unaware of the Warri case.
He argued this was “prima facie evidence” that Aghogho’s arrest, detention, and prosecution are unconstitutional, violating Sections 35 and 36 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Articles 9 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The application also warned of “serious and irreparable harm” to Aghogho’s liberty and well-being if the Court does not act swiftly, noting that the Delta State Government plans to continue the prosecution, with the next hearing fixed for October 7, 2025.
The ECOWAS Court has been provided with proof of service of the urgent application, marked as Annexure JJ, in support of the request for an expedited hearing.
Aghogho’s case has drawn attention from human rights circles, as it raises questions about his long campaign against child trafficking, illegal adoption networks, and the controversial Delta State Child Rights (Amendment) Law 2024.
His activism led to the revocation of his bail on June 16, 2025, in a cyberstalking case filed without federal consent—proceedings he says are politically motivated to silence his whistleblowing.
Now detained at the Warri Medium Security Custodial Centre, he is seeking urgent intervention from the ECOWAS Court for his release and protection of his rights.