- Six people charged with public disturbance related to the 2020 #EndSARS protests were acquitted by an Ikeja chief magistrate's court
- The Lagos State Government charged the defendants with breaching public peace which they pleaded guilty of
- Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi discharged and acquitted the defendants, considering their prolonged detention in her ruling
Six people charged by the Lagos State Government with public disturbance during the 2020 #EndSARS protests were acquitted by Ikeja chief magistrate’s court.
The Lagos State Government charged the defendants for breaching the public peace which they pleaded guilty to.
Counsel for the defendants, T.D. Ojeshino appealed to the court for a merciful sentence, noting that the defendants had already spent almost four years in detention.
“My lord, I plead the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants are first-time offenders. Some are breadwinners of their families and still very young,” Ojeshino said.
“They have been in custody since 2020 and have truly learnt their lessons.”
Magistrate releases defendants
Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi discharged and acquitted the defendants on Thursday, August 22, following their plea bargain application.
Babajide Martins, the Director for Public Prosecutions, informed the court that the defendants committed the offence at 12 pm on November 23, 2020, in Ebutte Metta, Lagos.
He indicated that the crime was in breach of section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, yet he urged the court to consider their plea when determining the sentence.
In her ruling, the magistrate declared the defendant guilty and convicted them of the charge.
She, however, cautioned and released them, considering their almost four-year period in detention.
Protesters were arrested during 2020 #EndSARS protests
The names of the defendants are Sodiq Usseni (33), Daniel Joyinbo (31), Adigun Sodiq (28), Kehinde Shola (32), Salaudeen Kamilu (29), and Azeez Isiaka (34).
Many Nigerian youths protested on the streets in October 2020, calling attention to the misconduct of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
At the height of the demonstrations, curfews were imposed by various state governments to prevent disorder, and many protesters were detained in Lagos, Rivers, and Ibadan.
A number of individuals arrested during the protests have remained detained, facing charges related to the demonstrations.
#EndBadGovernance: 2,111 protesters were arrested, 1,403 tried without representation - Falana
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had disclosed that the #Endbadgovernance demonstration saw the arrest of at least 2,111 protesters across the country.
Falana further revealed that 1,403 suspects have been discreetly arraigned in several courts. They were placed in prison custody due to the absence of legal representation, although the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had announced its intention to offer legal support.