Six #EndSARS Protesters Regain Freedom After Four Years In Prison

A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has acquitted and discharged six men who were on trial for disturbing public peace during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

The defendants—Daniel Joyinbo (31), Adigun Sodiq (28), Kehinde Shola (32), Salaudeen Kamilu (29), Sodiq Usseni (33), and Azeez Isiaka (34)—had accepted a plea bargain and admitted guilt to charges of breaching public peace, as filed by the Lagos State Government.

Upon reviewing the plea agreement, Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi found the defendants guilty. However, instead of sentencing them, she issued a caution and discharged them, considering the fact that they had already been in custody for nearly four years.

During the proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, presented an amended charge, stating that the defendants committed the offence on November 23, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. in Ebutte Metta, Lagos.

Their actions, according to him, were likely to cause a breach of public peace, an offence under Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Dr. Martins requested the court to sentence the defendants based on their guilty plea. However, the defendants’ lawyer, T.D. Ojeshino, appealed for leniency, noting that they were first-time offenders and some were family breadwinners.

“My lord, I urge the court to temper justice with mercy, as these defendants are first-time offenders who have already learned their lessons after being in custody since 2020,” Ojeshino pleaded.