An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court has discharged and acquitted six men charged with breach of public peace during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, ending their nearly four-year detention.
The defendants, Daniel Joyinbo, 31; Adigun Sodiq, 28; Kehinde Shola, 32; Salaudeen Kamilu, 29; Sodiq Usseni, 33; and Azeez Isiaka, 34, pleaded guilty to a single count of breach of public peace in a plea bargain agreement with the Lagos State Government.
Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi, after reviewing the plea bargain, found the defendants guilty but chose to caution and discharge them, citing their prolonged custody since 2020.
The Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Babajide Martins, informed the court that the defendants had committed the offense on November 23, 2020, at Ebutte Metta, Lagos.
According to Martins, their actions were “likely to cause a breach of public peace,” contravening Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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Defense lawyer T.D. Ojeshino appealed for leniency, stating, “My lord, I plead the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants are first-time offenders. Some are bread winners of their families and still very young. They have been in custody since 2020 and have truly learnt their lessons.”
The #EndSARS protests of 2020 were a nationwide movement against police brutality and misconduct in Nigeria
