The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the Republic of Ghana to pay N21 million in damages to a Ghanaian-born woman, Mary Omerere, after ruling that her fundamental rights were violated when her passport was revoked following her marriage to a Nigerian citizen.

The judgment, delivered in the case filed in May 2025, found that Ghana’s administrative actions unlawfully affected her nationality rights and freedom of movement under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Ghana’s Constitution.

According to court records, Omerere, who was born a Ghanaian citizen, experienced difficulties when she applied to renew her Ghanaian international passport through the Ghana High Commission in Lagos.Instead of processing her application, officials allegedly delayed it and later informed her that her passport had been revoked.She was reportedly advised to obtain a Nigerian passport, despite maintaining her Ghanaian citizenship by birth.

This action, her legal team argued, left her effectively stateless and unable to travel freely, including missing her grandmother’s funeral and facing immigration uncertainties in the United Kingdom.

The ECOWAS Court held that Ghana violated her right to nationality and freedom of movement by preventing her from entering and leaving her country of birth without lawful justification.It also stated that citizens cannot be arbitrarily deprived of nationality or denied entry into their country without due legal process.The court directed Ghana to communicate its decision on her passport and citizenship status within six months.In addition to the N21 million compensation, Ghana was also ordered to bear litigation costs.

The ruling has been described by the applicant’s lawyers as a landmark decision reinforcing citizenship rights and human rights protection across West Africa, setting an important precedent within the ECOWAS legal framework.