An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court has discharged and acquitted six men who had been held in custody for four years on charges related to the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The men Daniel Joyinbo, Adigun Sodiq, Kehinde Shola, Salaudeen Kamilu, Sodiq Usseni, and Azeez Isiaka were accused of breaching public peace during the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality.
The court proceedings revealed that the defendants had entered a plea bargain agreement, pleading guilty to the charges brought against them by the Lagos State Government.
The Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, presented an amended charge, stating that the offence occurred on November 23, 2020, at Ebutte Metta, Lagos. According to Martins, the defendants conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace, violating Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
After considering the plea bargain, Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi found the defendants guilty but opted to caution and discharge them, acknowledging the nearly four years they had already spent in custody.
Their legal representative, T.D. Ojeshino, pleaded for leniency, emphasizing that the defendants were first-time offenders and primary breadwinners for their families.
"My lord, I plead the court to tamper justice with mercy as the defendants are first-time offenders.
Some are breadwinners of their families and still very young. They have been in custody since 2020 and have truly learnt their lessons," Ojeshino stated.
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