A Lagos State Magistrate Court in Ogba has discharged six men who were arrested during the 2000 #EndSARS protests and have spent almost four years in prison.
The defendants, identified as Daniel Joyinbo, Adigun Sodiq, Kehinde Shola, Salaudeen Kamilu, Sodiq Usseni, and Azeez Isiaka, were set free by Magistrate Bolanle Osunsanmi on Thursday, after being cautioned.
The defendants were discharged after pleading guilty to a single amended charge brought against them by the Lagos State Government.
The charge, dated August 22, 2024, accused them of conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace, a violation under Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
According to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, the alleged offence took place on November 23, 2020, at around 12 pm in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos.
Martins told the court, “The defendants acted in a way that could have disturbed public order, which is a punishable offence under the state’s laws.”
The punishment for the offence of conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, under Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, stipulates three months punishment or a fine of N15,000.
The court may impose either or both the fine and imprisonment, depending on the severity of the case and other circumstances.
After the defendants entered their guilty pleas, Osunsanmi asked them if they fully understood the consequences.
