On May 19, the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja will hear a suit seeking justice for 11 Nigerian journalists who were killed between 1998 and 2019.

The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) filed the suit in 2021 to compel the government to properly investigate the unresolved killings of these journalists and also to identify and prosecute their killers.

The MRA is a non-governmental organisation with focus on freedom of expression, access to information and media development and persecutions.

According to a statement by the MRA on Wednesday, the journalists were killed in relation to their professional duties and no one has ever been charged or prosecuted for the killings.

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“The suit will be heard through a virtual court session, according to the Court’s Chief Registrar, who said in a “Hearing Notice” that it has been set down for hearing at 10am, Abuja time,” noted the MRA.

The 11 deceased journalists are:

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Some of the MRA’s demands include the declaration that the killing of the 11 journalists violated their fundamental right to life and rights to freedom of expression and the press.

The MRA also wants the court to direct the government to prevent further attacks on journalists and other media workers, transparent and impartial investigations into the killings, as well as N10 million compensation to each of the victims’ families.