Lawyers Alert: Challenging Nigeria’s Restrictive Laws on Safe Termination of Pregnancy Laws
- saadatumichika
- Oct 15
- 1 min read
In November 2023, Lawyers Alert filed a landmark case before the ECOWAS Regional Court of Justice against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the first-ever regional-level case to challenge Nigeria’s restrictive legal framework on access to safe termination of pregnancy (STOP).
The case contested the government’s failures and omissions that hinder survivors of sexual violence from accessing essential reproductive healthcare services.
The lawsuit was anchored on Nigeria’s non-domestication of the Maputo Protocol, which guarantees women’s right to access safe termination of pregnancy in specific circumstances, including rape and incest. This omission, Lawyers Alert argued, deprives survivors of their fundamental human rights to health, dignity, and freedom from inhuman treatment.
By taking the matter to the ECOWAS Court, Lawyers Alert sought to compel Nigeria and other ECOWAS member states to meet their regional and international obligations to protect and promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of all women and girls in West Africa.
On 4 April 2025, the Court delivered its landmark judgment. While not all the reliefs sought were granted, the ECOWAS Court, for the first time, affirmed that Nigeria is legally bound by the Maputo Protocol. Importantly, the Court recognised that access to safe termination of pregnancy, particularly in cases of rape, is a human rights issue.
This acknowledgement marks a significant jurisprudential milestone, laying the foundation for strengthened strategic litigation to advance reproductive rights across Nigeria and the wider ECOWAS region.
A summary of the judgment is via the link below
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