An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court has cleared and freed six individuals who were arrested during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
Although the defendants had initially pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching the public peace, filed by the Lagos State Government, the court ultimately discharged and acquitted them.
The defendants are Daniel Joyinbo, 31, Adigun Sodiq, 28, Kehinde Shola,32, Salaudeen Kamilu, 29, Sodiq Usseni, 33 and Azeez Isiaka, 34.
According to NAN, Bola Osunsanmi, the magistrate, discharged and acquitted the defendants on Thursday after their plea bargain application.
Babajide Martins, director for public prosecutions, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on November 23, 2020, at 12pm at Ebutte Metta, Lagos.
He said that the offence contravened section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2015, but urged the court to sentence them based on their plea.
T.D Ojeshino, counsel to the defendants, pleaded to the court to temper justice with mercy since they had spent almost four years in custody.
“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.”
In her judgment, the magistrate found the defendant guilty and convicted them of the charge.
She, however, cautioned and discharged them, adding that they had spent almost four years in custody.
In October 2020, many Nigerian youths took to the streets to protest the excesses of the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the police.
At the peak of the protests, some state governments declared curfew to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Many protesters were arrested in Lagos, Rivers, and Ibadan.
Some of those arrested have remained in custody, after 46 months, for various categories of offences linked to the protests.
In June, Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna central, asked President Bola Tinubu to pardon #EndSARS protesters who are still in detention.
Responding, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said there was no #EndSARS protester in any of its detention facilities.
