SaharaReporters learned that most of them are held at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos.
No fewer than 31 people who were arrested during the #EndSARS Protest of 2022 are yet to be released after spending over two years in jail in Lagos State without being tried in any court of law.
SaharaReporters learnt that contrary to what the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated during the run-up to the 2023 general elections that all the people arrested during the 2020 protest had been released from detention, there are still at least 31 people who have been identified as still being detained.
The report that these protestors had been released was also boastfully echoed by the Nigeria Police Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, who stated on his Twitter page that the Force had stopped arresting anyone associated with what happened during the protest.
He wrote: “But you know we have stopped picking those who participated in Endsars, if not many won't be in their fathers houses or be doing comedy or skits or even to contest.”
“So don’t go there. Endsars is part of our history in Nigeria, and i am sure many have learnt one or two lessons from the violence,” he added.
However, SaharaReporters has learned that the following people were arrested during the protest and have yet to be released by security forces.
The names of such protestors still languishing in prison include Ogidi Joseph, Marcus Joseph, Joseph Oyebowale, Muyiwa Onikoyi, Taiwo Fagbemi, Jamiu Sabi, Segun Adeniji, Ibrahim Adesanya, Daniel Joyibo, Dare Williams, Sunday Ikorodu, Adigun Sodiq, Yusuf Rafiu, Shehu Anas, and Yakubu Olayiwola.
Others are Ismail Muftao, Bethel Chukwuocha, Onuora Odih, Jeremiah Lucky, Gideon Ikwujoma, Haruna Adekunjo, Irinyemi Oluwanbe, Joshua Adeleke, Kabiru Ajetunmobi, Moses Ofoke, Quadri Azeez, Idris Lawus, Charles Godstine Adele, Akeem Azeez, Sodiq Riliwan, and Olamide Lekan.
SaharaReporters learned that most of them are held at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos.
#EndSARS became a social movement that led to protests in Nigeria against police brutality. The slogan demanded the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police notorious for brutality, human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.
The demonstration derives its name from a Twitter movement in 2017 that used the hashtag #EndSARS to demand that the Nigerian government dismantle the unit.
Following further revelations of the unit's abuses in October 2020, mass demonstrations across the country.
The demand was also online as many Nigerians took to social media to demand an end to police brutality in the country.
There were also protests and rallies by Nigerians in the diaspora and sympathisers, as they took to the streets of some major cities to make the same demand.