They were arraigned in court by the police on November 6, 2020, on offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and inciting public disturbance.
An Abuja Magistrates’ Court has discharged four out of six #EndSARS protesters who were arrested at the gate of the National Assembly, Abuja, for calling for an end to police brutality.
Those discharged and acquitted are Olutosin Adeniji, Paul Akinwumi and Dabou Chomo and Abdulsalam Zubairu.
They were arraigned in court by the police on November 6, 2020, on offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and inciting public disturbance.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the defence counsel, Henry Akwaji, gave the reason for the absence of the remaining two defendants, Yashidu Bashiru and Kadiru Gasali.
He stated that one of them was a minor while the other one was indisposed and receiving traditional treatment in Kaduna State.
He therefore urged the court to dismiss the case against the four defendants in line with section 351 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, for lack of diligent prosecution.
Meanwhile, the prosecution lawyers were conspicuously absent in the court.
The Chief Magistrate, Musa Abdulrazaq Eneye, said he had no record that one of the defendants was ill and the other was a minor as submitted by the defence counsel.
He also described the action of the police as total negation of the Administration of Criminal Justice System.
In his ruling, Eneye, therefore, discharged the four defendants and dismissed all complaints preferred against them.
He also adjourned the matter for the remaining two defendants to March 24.