International
Over 15 Protesters Languish In Lagos Prison Three Years After #EndSARS – Amnesty
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.
Authorities in Malaysia and Thailand have recovered at least 13 bodies and are continuing to search for survivors after a boat carrying undocumented migrants capsized off the coast of Thailand’s Tarutao Island, officials said on Monday.
The vessel, which was carrying around 70 migrants — many believed to be members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority — overturned four days ago while attempting to reach Malaysia.
Police said the passengers were part of a larger group of about 300 people who had set out in at least two boats from Myanmar roughly two weeks ago. The second boat has since been reported missing.
Tarutao Island lies just north of Malaysia’s popular Langkawi resort island, where rescue operations have been concentrated.
Romli Mustafa, Director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said that rescuers had so far recovered seven bodies, all identified as Rohingya.
“Thai authorities are also conducting search-and-rescue operations, where they have found six bodies,” Romli told reporters. “We expect to find more victims today,” he added, noting that strong currents were likely to carry additional bodies into Malaysian waters.
At least 13 people — mostly Rohingya and Bangladeshis — have been rescued alive, according to Malaysian police. Langkawi Police Chief Khairul Azhar Nuruddin said six of the dead were identified as Rohingya women and one as a young girl.
Romli said at least 12 vessels are currently involved in search efforts across a 250-square-nautical-mile area, roughly the size of Singapore.
The tragedy highlights the growing dangers faced by Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, often through perilous sea routes facilitated by human trafficking syndicates.
“Cross-border syndicates are increasingly exploiting vulnerable migrants, turning them into victims of human trafficking using high-risk sea routes,” Romli said, noting that traffickers charge as much as $3,500 per person for passage.
Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia’s more prosperous nations, is home to millions of migrant workers, many of whom are undocumented and employed in construction, agriculture, and domestic service.
Deadly boat disasters are not uncommon in the region. In December 2021, more than 20 migrants drowned off Malaysia’s coast in one of the worst incidents in recent years.
Authorities say search operations will continue in both Thai and Malaysian waters as the death toll is expected to rise.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced her retirement Thursday morning via video message.
In the message posted on her social media accounts she speaks directly to San Francisco.
She said: “San Francisco, know your power,”. “We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.
“Dear San Francisco, we are fortunate to live in the most beautiful, remarkable place on Earth, but the true magic of San Francisco, the San Franciscans. There’s a reason why our city has always been synonymous with the future. Here, we don’t fear the future. We forge it from the gold rush to the miracles of science and technology. Our city has always been the cradle of innovation, buzzing with optimism and creativity.
“We are vibrant and diverse city, home to hard working families, diligent students and Heroic veterans and the dreams of entrepreneurs and immigrants from Chinatown to Japantown, from the mission to the film Hunters Point to the Castro North Beach to the sunset. We are also resilient, experiencing more than our fair share of challenges.
“When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck, we brought in federal support that ensured we would not just recover but reimagine the South of Market neighborhood, and of course, HIV AIDS tested our city to its core. But out of our agony came action. Under the leadership of UCSF and San Francisco General, we pioneered comprehensive community based care, prevention and research.
That very system served as a model, as we wrote the Ryan White Care Act, which still ensures access to life saving medical care nationwide. Fittingly, our city is home to the National AIDS memorial grove, a place of renewal, where we remember the loved ones we lost. For decades, I’ve cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress.”
In a high-stakes moment for Nigeria’s diplomacy and domestic political agenda, President Bola Tinubu has spoken publicly for the first time in response to threats issued by U.S. President Donald Trump — at the same time swearing in two new ministers to his Cabinet.
President Trump recently directed U.S. military planning toward Nigeria, warning that American assistance could be cut off if Nigeria continues to “allow the killing of Christians” — and even suggesting the possibility of U.S. intervention.
In response, Tinubu’s office, via Minister of Information & National Orientation Mohammed Idris, announced that the president remains calm and is taking the matter “with the depth it requires”.
The government emphasised that Nigeria is engaging via multiple channels — including religious leaders, international organisations and regional bodies — to clarify its position and dispel narratives of religious intolerance.
Analysts say the seriousness of the U.S. approach underscores global concern about Nigeria’s security and religious-freedom situation.
At a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held earlier today, President Tinubu swore in:
- Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro (from Plateau State) to fill the vacant Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs & Poverty Reduction.
- Mr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh (SAN, from Enugu State) to fill the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation, following the resignation of his predecessor amid allegations of certificate forgery.
Their appointments were confirmed by the Senate and came at a moment of heightened domestic and international scrutiny.
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