Due to the damage caused by the flooding of the Lagdo Dam in 2012 and 2022, two NGOs filed a complaint against Nigeria, which the ECOWAS Court dismissed.
Nigeria and its Swiss equivalent, the Incorporated Trustees of Prince and Princess Charles Offokaja Foundation, launched the lawsuit in an attempt to hold Nigeria responsible for not building a dam in Adamawa to lessen flooding caused by Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam.
NGOs Make the Case That Nigeria Ignored Its Duties
The applicants claimed that 14 states experienced extensive damage, fatalities, displacement, and economic disruption as a result of Nigeria’s inaction.
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They maintained that a dam project might have produced energy, supplied irrigation, and lessened the flooding.
Citing insufficient legal capacity, Justice Sengu Koroma dismissed the claim in his ruling. The Nigerian NGO did not fit the requirements for public interest litigation, and the Swiss NGO was found to be unqualified to bring a lawsuit before the ECOWAS Court.
According to Justice Koroma, “the court is unable to identify specific victims whose rights were allegedly violated, even though the applicants referenced a broad class of victims.”
Nigeria’s defence department emphasised its initiatives, such as a 1982 feasibility study and a 2024 Senate resolution for the dredging of the Niger and Benue Rivers. The administration claimed to have taken action to improve collaboration with Cameroon and control flooding.
Judges Sengu Koroma, Dupe Atoki, and Edward Asante decided the case.
