Former senator Shehu Sani said at the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner that certain participants in the 2020 EndSARS rallies were still being held in detention. The Nigeria Police Force has denied this claim.
Speaking during the dinner on Wednesday, Sani urged President Bola Tinubu to release the demonstrators for EndSARS who are currently being held in custody.
The police refuted the claim in a press release issued on Sunday and signed by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force’s spokeswoman. They said that everyone who has been detained has been handled legally and that no one is being held in jail at the moment.
The statement said, “At the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner held on June 12, 2024, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Nigeria Police Force categorically denies the recent allegations made by Senator Shehu Sani. The former senator falsely claimed that some young people have been detained since the 2020 EndSARS protest.”
THE ROUND TABLE: If a “unrealistic minimum wage” is implemented, FG warns of mass sacrifice.0:05 and 0:24
The Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies in Nigeria confirm that no person is being forcibly detained as a result of the EndSARS demonstration.
“No one who was arrested is still being held illegally; all of them have been processed in accordance with the law.”
The announcement also mentioned that approximately 100 defendants who were detained during the EndSARS rallies have been pardoned by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
To be clear, nobody in Nigeria is being wrongfully detained by the police or subjected to other forms of persecution because they took part in the EndSARS rally.
Lessons have been learned from the discussion, investigation, and documentation of the protest’s related issues. The message said, “We have moved forward and forgiven ourselves.
The police also reassured the public that they would continue to protect justice, the rule of law, and human rights, and they advised them to ignore the accusation.
“In order to prevent harm and incitement, we encourage confirming information before making public statements,” the statement said in its conclusion.
