#EndSARS protest: Ikeja court releases six men after four-year

After nearly four years in custody, six men arrested during the 2020 #EndSARS protest were cautioned and discharged by an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

The men—Daniel Joyinbo, Adigun Sodiq, Kehinde Shola, Salaudeen Kamilu, Sodiq Usseni, and Azeez Isiaka—had been accused of breaching public peace during the demonstrations that swept across Lagos in November 2020.

The defendants, who had entered a plea bargain with the Lagos State Government, pleaded guilty to the charges.

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Despite their guilty plea, Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi opted for leniency, acknowledging the significant time the men had already spent in detention.

The court’s decision to discharge the men was influenced by the fact that they had been first-time offenders and had shown remorse for their actions.

Their defence counsel, Mr. T.D. Ojeshino, argued that the men were young and many were the breadwinners for their families. He urged the court to consider their prolonged detention as sufficient punishment.

The prosecution, led by Dr. Babajide Martins, had presented an amended charge but did not oppose the plea for leniency. The court’s ruling brought an end to a prolonged legal process stemming from the historic #EndSARS protest that called for an end to police brutality in Nigeria.