The Vice President said the campaign, the first by the Court in the State since its establishment 20 years ago, is an important annual activity of the Court in Member States intended to engage with the various stakeholders on the mandate, jurisdiction and access to the Court.

The Vice President said the campaign has been structured in such a way that the presentations respond to the specific needs of the target groups, mainly judges and judicial staff of the state, women groups, lawyers, students, the media, law lecturers as well as the police, immigration and customs.

“Hopefully, the campaign will not only improve awareness of the Court among ECOWAS citizens in the State but enable them to appreciate the option the Court offers for the protection of their human rights in line with its mandate,’ Justice Ouattara said.

The week-long programme, will be preceded by courtesy visits to the State Governor, the Chief Judge of the State, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, the Emir of Ilorin, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin branch.

The outreach will equally extend to civil society groups, women groups, workers, various associations, members of the academia and journalists.

The State governor is expected to declare open the campaign on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at a ceremony expected to be attended by senior government officials, judges, lawyers, students, law lecturers, representatives of women groups and journalists.

It will be followed on Wednesday, 23rd February with a forum for judges and judicial officers of the State where the Court will make presentations on the Court and its relationship with national courts.

Lawyers in the State will also participate in a dedicated forum where they will benefit from presentations by officials of the Court on its mandate and jurisdiction, practice and procedure as well as how cases are filed before the Court.

The women’s forum will enable the Court to engage with women stakeholders during which there will be a presentation on women’s rights.

A press conference is scheduled for Friday, February 25, 2022 before the departure of the delegation back to the seat of the Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

The delegation also include three other judges including Justices Dupe Atoki, Keikura Bangura and Januaria T.S. Monterio Costa as well as staff of the Court.