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Over 15 Protesters Languish In Lagos Prison Three Years After #EndSARS – Amnesty

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Amnesty International has said that a total of fifteen protesters arrested in 2020 are still being arbitrarily detained three years after the #EndSARS protest that took Nigeria by storm.

According to a statement by the international non-governmental organisation on the third anniversary of the protest, the majority of the protesters are in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre and Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos without trial.

It noted that the Nigerian authorities have filed trumped-up charges including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder against many of the protesters, adding that some of those detained alleged that they had been subjected to torture.

“Our investigation shows the Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for human rights. Three years in detention without trial is a travesty of justice. This shows the authorities’ contempt for due process of law. The protesters must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Isa Sanusi Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Seven #EndSARS protesters – Daniel Joy-Igbo, Sodiq Adigun, Sunday Okoro, Olumide Fatai, Oluwole Isa, Shehu Anas, and Akiniran Oyetakin – arrested in Lagos in 2020, are being arbitrarily held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, Amnesty International said.

Daniel Joy-Igbo, a Beninois #EndSARS protester arrested in Lagos in October 2020, who has also been detained at the Bar Beach Police Station, the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, and at a SARS facility in Ikeja, told Amnesty International:

“Since my arraignment in December 2020, I have been locked up in the prison without trial. Since then, there has been no adjourned date for my case. I have not been taken to court since December 2020.”

Sodiq Adigun, also arrested in October 2020, who was previously detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, told Amnesty International:

“Let the government release me. I have been detained since 2020 without trial. I am innocent. My life has been shattered. I need my liberty.”

Eight #EndSARS protesters – Segun Adeniyi, Onuorah Odih, Jeremiah Lucky, Gideon Ikwujomah, Irinyemi Olorunwanbe, Quadri Azeez, Olamide Lekan and Sadiq Riliwan – have been detained without trial in Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos since 2020.
“All those detained solely for taking part in peaceful #EndSARS protests must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Isa Sanusi
Torture in detention

The Amnesty International report added that many peaceful #EndSARS protesters have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in detention since 2020.

They include Oluwole Isa, currently held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, who told Amnesty International how he was tortured while in detention at the SARS facility in Ikeja:

“I was tied with a rope. They bent me backwards and tied my hands and legs together at my back. An iron rod was passed in between my tied legs and hands. With the iron road, I was suspended on an iron bar. Then, they started beating me with a machete and wooden batons. They were forcing me to admit that I was involved in vandalism during the #EndSARS protests. When I could not bear the torture anymore, I told the Inspector that I would confess. At that point, I was almost going to die. He brought me down; I still have the scar of the machete cut on my throat …”

Resurgence of police brutality

The report by Amnesty International also noted that despite consistent claims of carrying out comprehensive police reforms in the aftermath of #EndSARS protests, Nigeria’s police continue to routinely commit violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings, harassment, arbitrary detention, and extortion with almost absolute impunity, said Amnesty International Nigeria.

The organisation said in the past year alone, it has documented the unlawful killing of at least six people by law enforcement officers.

These include 31-year-old Gafaru Buraimoh, who was killed in Lagos on 6 December 2022, and Onyeka Ibe, who was killed on 5 April 2023 in Delta state for refusing to pay a N100 bribe.

Other cases include Faiz Abdullahi, who died in police custody in Kaduna on 30 July 2023 following torture during interrogation, and 17-year-old student Abdullahi Tukur Abba, who died in hospital after allegedly being tortured in police custody in Yola Adamawa state on 5 August 2023.

“Any changes that followed the #EndSARS protests are fast disappearing, as police brutality is again becoming a daily part of life for people across Nigeria. The recent cases of extrajudicial killings and extortion show that the police are not ready to conduct their duties in compliance with international human rights standards. Reforming the Nigeria police force will continue to be a distant dream if impunity remains part of policing operations,” said Isa Sanusi Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Amnesty International in its release, admonished the Nigerian authorities to take concrete and effective measures to end police impunity, including by giving clear directives to the police not to violate human rights, adding that those suspected of violating human rights should be brought to justice in fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty.
It called for genuine reforms to be initiated to end widespread human rights violations by the police, as Nigerians have an obligation to ensure that torture and other ill-treatment are not carried out under any circumstances.

Background

On 8 October 2020, Nigerians took to the streets protesting atrocities by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which was a unit of the Nigeria Police established to fight violent crimes.

While number of casualties of the #EndSARS protest has always been contentious, a leaked memo by the Lagos State government earlier in the year revealed the approval of N61,285,000 for the mass burial of 103 persons identified as 2020 EndSARS victims.

According to Amnesty International, at least 12 peaceful protesters were killed in Alausa and Lekki Lagos by security operatives 20 October 2020. It added that at least 56 people have died across the country during the protests.

It said victims include protesters and thugs who were allegedly hired by the authorities to confront the protesters. In many cases, law enforcement and security forces used excessive force in an attempt to control or stop the protests.

However, in its explanation to its leaked memo dated July 19, 2023, the Lagos government maintained that the victims to be buried were not from the controversial Lekki Tollgate shooting.

The government argued that the victims were from incidents of violence that occurred in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.

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International

Trump hints at softening China tariffs and says no plan to sack Fed boss

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US President Donald Trump has appeared to soften his recent comments on China and the head of the US Federal Reserve after recent clashes as he pursues his economic agenda.

He said he has “no intention of firing” Jerome Powell after repeatedly criticising the head of the central bank, but he added that he would like Powell to be “a little more active” on cutting interest rates.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump also said he was optimistic about improving trade relations with China.

He said the level of tariffs – or import taxes – that he had imposed on Chinese imports would “come down substantially, but it won’t be zero”.

The president’s tariffs are an effort to encourage factories and jobs to return to the US. This is a pillar of his economic agenda – as is a cut in interest rates, aimed at reducing the cost of borrowing for Americans.

Trump has ratcheted the rate on Chinese goods up to 145% – sparking reciprocal measures from Beijing and warnings from economists about the global impact of a trade war.

In his comments to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said he would be “very nice” in negotiations with Beijing – in the hope of securing a trade deal.

Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly said he expected a de-escalation of the trade war, which he said was unsustainable. Responding to comments from China, he said the current situation was “not a joke”.

The trade war has led to turbulence in financial markets around the world – to which Trump’s comments on Powell have also contributed.

The Fed has not cut rates so far this year, after lowering them by a percentage point late last year, a stance Trump has heavily criticised.

Last week, the president intensified his attacks on the Fed chief, calling him “a major loser”.

The comments sparked a selloff of stocks, bonds and the US dollar – though markets have since been recovering from those losses.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on Friday that Trump was looking into whether it would be possible to sack Powell – who he first nominated to lead the central bank in 2017.

Powell was then renewed in 2021 by Joe Biden.It is unclear whether Trump has the authority to fire the Fed chair. No other US president has tried to do so.

Most major Asian stock markets were higher on Wednesday as investors appeared to welcome the latest remarks.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose about 1.9%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong climbed by around 2.2%, while mainland China’s Shanghai Composite was down less than 0.1%.

That came after US shares made gains on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 ending Tuesday’s session up 2.5% and the Nasdaq rose 2.7%.

US futures were also trading higher overnight. Futures markets give an indication of how financial markets will perform when they open for trading.

Investors feared that pressure on Powell to lower interest rates could cause prices to rise at a time when trade tariffs are already seen boosting inflation.

Trade tensions between the world’s biggest economies, as well as US tariffs on other countries around the world, have triggered uncertainty about the global economy. Those concerns triggered turmoil in financial markets in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, the forecast for US economic growth for this year was given the biggest downgrade among advanced economies by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to uncertainty caused by tariffs.

The sharp increase in tariffs and uncertainty will lead to a “significant slowdown” in global growth, the Fund predicted.

Trump has imposed taxes of up to 145% on imports from China. Other countries are now facing a blanket US tariff of 10% until July.

His administration said last week that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

China has hit back with a 125% tax on products from the US and vowed to “fight to the end”.

The Chinese government has not yet officially responded to the latest statements from the Trump administration.

However, an article in the state-controlled Global Times on Wednesday quoted commentators who said the remarks showed that the US is beginning to realise the tariffs do more harm than good to America’s economy.

BBC

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International

Ghana president suspends chief justice in unprecedented move

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Ghanaian President John Mahama has suspended the country’s Supreme Court chief justice – Gertrude Torkornoo.

An investigation has been launched and three undisclosed petitions have been filed making allegations against Gertrude Torkornoo, calling for her permanent removal.

Chief justices in Ghana enjoy security of tenure – meaning they can only be removed from office on a few grounds, which include incompetence and misbehaviour.

The content of the petitions has not been made public and she is yet to comment, while Ghana’s former attorney general has claimed her suspension is an attempt to undermine the judiciary.

“I think it is a complete charade,” Godfred Yeboah Dame told the BBC.

“It’s the biggest assault on the [judiciary] in the nation’s history, the greatest assault on the independence of the judiciary under the constitutional dispensation of this country.

“Ms Torkornoo is Ghana’s third female chief justice and was nominated in 2023 by former president Nana Akufo-Addo.

It is her responsibility to oversee the administration of justice in Ghana.

According to news agency Reuters, Ms Torkornoo survived a removal request earlier this year when former President Akufo-Addo said a petition to have her dismissed had “several deficiencies”.

Copies of the three recently filed petitions against Ms Torkornoo were not initially made available to her.

But some lawyers argued that withholding the documents was a violation of Ms Torkornoo’s right to a fair hearing.

Copies of the petition were subsequently made available to the chief justice, allowing her to respond to the allegations privately and in writing.

Ms Torkornoo will be invited by the five-member committee to respond again to the petitions before a final decision is reached as to whether she should be removed from office or not.

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International

Pope Francis: Governor Soludo Consoles Global Catholic Community

In his condolence message, Governor Soludo extends his solemn condolences to the Catholic Church in Anambra State, Nigeria, the Vatican, and the global Christian community.

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The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has expressed deep sadness at the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, who departed peacefully on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.

In his condolence message, Governor Soludo extends his solemn condolences to the Catholic Church in Anambra State, Nigeria, the Vatican, and the global Christian community.

He said that the loss of Pope Francis, a globally respected icon of faith, humility, and compassion, has indeed grieved the hearts of Catholics and all humanity as his lifelong dedication to championing the cause of the poor, fostering interfaith unity, and advocating for peace and justice has left the world a better place.

Governor Soludo further remarked that Pope Francis was a shepherd whose legacy transcended borders.

His teachings on love, mercy, and solidarity touched base with the people of Anambra, inspiring the government to build a society rooted in dignity and hope.

Indeed, the Holy Father’s passing on Easter Monday, symbolizing Christ’s triumph over death, is deeply instructive and a reflection of the enduring power of resurrection and hope.

Therefore, Governor Soludo stands in solidarity with the global Catholic community during this period of mourning, celebrating a life extraordinarily lived in service to God and humanity, and praying for the soul of Pope Francis to find repose in the comforting grace of the Almighty God.

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