There are no #EndSARS protestors in any of the Nigeria Police Force’s (NPF) detention facilities, according to the NPF.

The force’s spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, stated in a statement on Sunday that “nobody is being wrongly persecuted for participating in the EndSARS protest.”

Recall that, in October 2020, many young Nigerians demonstrated against the excesses of the police’s now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) unit in various locations throughout the nation.

At the peak of the protests, some state governments declared a curfew to prevent a breakdown of law and order, while many protesters were arrested in cities such as Lagos, Rivers, and Ibadan.

Speaking at a dinner organised to mark 2024 Democracy Day on June 12, Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna Central, asked President Bola Tinubu to pardon #EndSARS protesters who are still in detention.

“Mr. President, there are some people who are still in detention as a result of EndSars’ protest. They were young people who were protesting for justice, freedom, and democracy,” Sani said at the event attended by Tinubu.

Responding to Shehu’s comment, Adejobi said, “All arrested individuals have been processed according to the law, and none remain unlawfully detained.”.

The force spokesperson said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, had pardoned over 100 suspects arrested by the police during the #EndSARS protest.

“The Nigeria Police Force categorically denies the recent allegations made by Senator Shehu Sani at the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner on June 12, 2024, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where the former Senator falsely claimed that some young people have been detained since the 2020 EndSARS protest,” the statement reads.

“For emphasis, no one anywhere in Nigeria is under police detention or being wrongly persecuted for participating in the EndSARS protest.

“The issues surrounding the protest have been debated, researched, and documented, and lessons have been learned. We have forgiven ourselves and moved on.

“We urge the public to disregard this claim and remain assured of our commitment to upholding justice, the rule of law, and human rights.

“We encourage verifying information before making public statements to avoid harm and incitement.”

However, the claim by Adejobi that no #EndSARS protester is in detention or being prosecuted for participating in the protest may not be entirely true.

According to The Cable, Dare Williams, a student of the Federal College of Education, Akoka, in Lagos, is currently at the Kirikiri medium prison for participating in the protest.

Williams was said to have been arrested on December 22, 2020, for allegedly posting a video showing a police officer covered in blood on his WhatsApp TV platform.

However, Williams is being tried for an alleged conspiracy to commit robbery

Labour unions have been advised to reevaluate their pay demands by the tripartite committee that was constituted by the federal government to review the minimum wage.

The head of the committee, Bukar Aji, urged labour to reevaluate their stance in light of the government’s non-monetary incentives and economic considerations in an interview with NAN on Sunday.

Aji outlined various government incentives, such as the N35,000 wage award for all federal employees paid by the Treasury, N100 billion for the conversion of gas-powered buses and kits, a N125 billion conditional grant, financial inclusion for small and medium-sized businesses, and a N25,000 monthly stipend for 15 million households spread over three months.

He also listed the N185 billion in palliative loans to states to mitigate the effects of petrol subsidy removal, N200 billion to boost agricultural production, N75 billion to strengthen the manufacturing sector, and N1 trillion for student loans, among other interventions.

Aji called on the labour unions to consider accepting the N62,000 minimum wage offered by the federal government.

He said the committee is trying to avert a situation where the minimum wage would lead to further job losses, especially as many businesses are already struggling.

Recall that in January 2024, the federal government inaugurated a 37-member tripartite committee on the national minimum wage.

The committee was tasked with the responsibility of recommending a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Over the past few months, the federal and state governments, organised labour and representatives of the private sector have been deliberating on a mutually acceptable sum.

However, the demand by organised labour is yet to be met.

On June 3, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) embarked on a nationwide strike to protest the federal government’s inability to meet their demand.

Twenty-four hours later, the labour unions “relaxed” the strike by one week.

Both unions had earlier proposed N615,500 and N494,000, respectively, as the new minimum wage, which the federal government said was unrealistic.

On June 7, the federal government increased its offer from N60,000 to N62,000, while the labour unions insisted on N250,000.

A Dallas, US, pastor has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after he was convicted of stealing property from three churches by filing fraudulent deeds.

Whitney Foster, 56, was found guilty by a jury of stealing goods worth at least $300,000, according to a news release from Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot.

According to investigators, the total worth of the pilfered properties approached $800,000. According to Creuzot, “stealing real estate is an extremely serious and damaging crime.”

“It’s worse than the theft of someone’s vehicle or other possessions. When someone steals property, we must hold them accountable because they are hurting people.” Foster was the pastor of a small congregation that did not have a physical place to gather.

He stole church buildings and land by filing fraudulent deeds that listed fake leadership for the victim churches as the grantors and naming his church as the grantee, according to the district attorney’s office. The churches from which Foster stole were First Christian Church of Lancaster and two in Dallas — Canada Drive Christian Church and Church at Nineveh, authorities said.

Two of properties are still listed under the defendant’s name or his church’s name, and his congregation has been gathering at one of them, Creuzot said.

The third church property “remains embroiled in legal complications caused by Foster’s actions,” according to the news release.

Prosecutors also presented the jury with evidence of seven additional fraudulent deeds.

Homeowners in many Texas counties can register their property for a deed fraud alert service, which will send an alert via email whenever a document is filed on your property.