Justice Nicole Clay of the Lagos State High Court has acquitted three individuals who were detained for their alleged involvement in the #EndSARS protest, after over three years of legal battle.
The discharged detainees have been identified as Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, and Oluwole Isa.
This comes as a relief to many who have closely followed the case, which drew both nationally and internationally attention. The trio had been held under what rights groups described as “trumped-up charges,” including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder.
They endured more than three years and five months of detention at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, following initial confinement at the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigeria Force facility in Lagos state.
Amnesty International Nigeria, in a statement issued by Michael Christian, Media and Communications Assistant, welcomed the court’s decision but urged authorities to provide information regarding the status of other #EndSARS protesters still incarcerated across the country.
The human rights organization highlighted several individuals, including Daniel Joy-Igbo, Sodiq Adigun, Shehu Anas, and Akiniran Oyetakin, who have been detained for over three years without trial.
Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, emphasized the importance of respecting the rights of peaceful assembly, stressing that the prolonged detention of individuals solely for participating in peaceful protests constitutes a violation of human rights.
Sanusi urged Nigerian authorities to release all detainees unconditionally, grant their families and lawyers access to them, and ensure that the right to peaceful protest is upheld.
