An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday discharged and acquitted six men who had been held in custody since the 2020 #EndSARS protests. The individuals—Daniel Joyinbo, 31, Adigun Sodiq, 28, Kehinde Shola, 32, Salaudeen Kamilu, 29, Sodiq Usseni, 33, and Azeez Isiaka, 34—were charged with breach of public peace during the protests.
The defendants entered a plea bargain agreement, pleading guilty to the charge brought against them by the Lagos State Government. After considering the plea bargain, Magistrate Mrs. Bola Osunsanmi convicted the men of the offense but chose to caution and discharge them, recognizing that they had already spent almost four years in custody.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, informed the court of an amended charge and detailed that the offense occurred on November 23, 2020, in Ebute Metta, Lagos. The charge was based on the defendants conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace, which violates Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
In their defense, legal representative Mr. T.D. Ojeshino requested the court’s leniency, highlighting that the defendants were first-time offenders, many of whom are young and serve as breadwinners for their families. He emphasized that the defendants had been in custody since 2020 and had learned their lessons during this period.
