JUDGMENT. PARTIES: 1. The 1st Plaintiff is a community citizen, lawyer, broadcaster and the Managing Director of the 2nd Plaintiff. The 2nd Plaintiff is a firm of Solicitors engage specifically in human rights advocacy, the advancement of democracy and good governance and sponsors radio and television broadcasts on the stated subjects. 2. Defendant is a member state of ECOWAS and a signatory to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other International Human Rights instruments. SUMMARY OF FACTS: 3. The Plaintiffs in their originating application dated 31st March, 2015 applied for the enforcement of their Human Rights to freedom of speech and free press allegedly violated by the Defendant. 4. Plaintiffs allege that they received a letter from the Defendant through its agency titled; “Additional Regulations for live Political Broadcasts” dated May 30, 2014, addressed to all Broadcasting Houses, with directives that the National Broadcasting Commission must be given 48 hours prior notification before airing any live political Programme. The letter allege that contents of the political live programs which are inciting, provocative, highly divisive and threaten the unity and peace of the country are been transmitted. 5. Plaintiffs further allege that the Defendant followed up the letter with threats of withdrawal of their broadcast licenses, outright closures of broadcast outfit, direct censorship of all broadcast materials and seizure of broadcast equipment of any organization that does not comply with the directives in the said letter. 6. The Plaintiffs aver that the Defendant stopped their live interview broadcasts on Radio and Television Stations including social media, thereby hampering the Plaintiffs’ program on social advocacy for good Governance and Human Rights. 7. Plaintiffs aver that the Defendant was intimated about the unlawfulness of their action and requested for specific proof of any repeated abuse of Programme transmission that threatens the peace and unity of the country to which there was no response. 2