#EndSARS: After three years 15 protesters still in prisons – Amnesty
Three years after the #EndSARS movement that swept Nigeria, Amnesty International has reported that fifteen of the protestors who were arrested in 2020 are still being arbitrarily held without being given the opportunity to face charges.
The bulk of the demonstrators are detained without being given a chance to defend themselves at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and the Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International on the third anniversary of the protests.
The international non-governmental organization, also said the Nigerian authorities have filed trumped-up charges against many protesters, including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder; adding that some of those detained alleged that they had been subjected to torture.
“Our investigation shows the Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for human rights. Three years in detention without trial is a travesty of justice. This shows the authorities’ contempt for due process of law. The protesters must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Isa Sanusi Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.
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“Seven #EndSARS protesters – Daniel Joy-Igbo, Sodiq Adigun, Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, Oluwole Isa, Shehu Anas, and Akiniran Oyetakin – arrested in Lagos in 2020, are being arbitrarily held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre,” Amnesty International said.
“Daniel Joy-Igbo, a Beninois #EndSARS protester arrested in Lagos in October 2020, who has also been detained at the Bar Beach Police Station, the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, and at a SARS facility in Ikeja, told Amnesty International:
“Since my arraignment in December 2020, I have been locked up in the prison without trial. Since then, there has been no adjourned date for my case. I have not been taken to court since December 2020.”
Sodiq Adigun, also arrested in October 2020, who was previously detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, told Amnesty International:
“Let the government release me. I have been detained since 2020 without trial. I am innocent. My life has been shattered. I need my liberty.”
Eight #EndSARS protesters – Segun Adeniyi, Onuorah Odih, Jeremiah Lucky, Gideon Ikwujomah, Irinyemi Olorunwanbe, Quadri Azeez, Olamide Lekan, and Sadiq Riliwan – have been detained without trial in Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos since 2020.
The Amnesty International report added that many peaceful #EndSARS protesters have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in detention since 2020.
The report also stated that there has been a resurgence of police brutality in the country despite the nationwide protest in 2020.
Amnesty International urged the government to take concrete and effective measures to end police impunity, including by giving clear directives to the police not to violate human rights.
