Abuja, Oct. 7, GNA – ECOWAS Chairman Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sworn in five new judges of the Community Court of Justice, charging them to uphold impartiality and public confidence.
The judges are Mr Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Justice Awa Bah of The Gambia, Mrs Charlyne M. Brumskine of Liberia, Mrs Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.
President Faye, who administered the oath at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, said the judges were assuming office at a time the region faced political, economic, security and environmental challenges.
He said the Court had a key responsibility to ensure fairness in the application of ECOWAS legal instruments, protect citizens’ rights and strengthen confidence in regional institutions.
“Through its decisions, it protects rights, serves as a reminder of everyone’s obligations, and strengthens trust in our institutions,” he said.
President Faye urged the judges to let their oath guide them throughout their four-year tenure, particularly in determining cases before the Court.
He charged them to administer justice fairly, consider cases according to their conscience and perform their duties impartially without yielding to pressure from any quarter.
“That is why I urge you, throughout the duration of your mandate, to constantly keep in mind -especially at the moment of decision-making—the foundation of your oath,” he said.
He said the Court’s credibility would depend on the quality of its decisions and the confidence they inspired among citizens.
General Birame Diop, ECOWAS Commission President, described the ceremony as a commitment by the new judges to the citizens of the Community and its common legal order.
He said the oath required them to put aside personal interests and external influences and uphold community law with honour, loyalty, impartiality and conscience.
“The oath marks the moment when the individual sets aside their personal interests and all external influences to serve only community law,” he said, adding that the ceremony also reflected member states’ recognition of the Court’s authority and their commitment to respecting its independence.
The five judges were appointed for a non-renewable four-year term by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.
Their appointment was pursuant to the December 2025 Supplementary Act SA.1/12/25 on the Community Court of Justice.
The new judges succeeded Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves of Cape Verde, Justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma of Sierra Leone, Justice Dupe Atoki of Nigeria, Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and Justice Edward Amoako Asante of Ghana, whose four-year tenure had ended.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
7 Oct. 2026
Reporter: Agnes Ansah