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.
The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi said the investigation shows the Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for human rights.
He noted that three years in detention without trial is a travesty of justice and shows the authorities’ contempt for due process of law.
He further called for the release of these protesters immediately and unconditionally.
Speaking further, he revealed that Seven #EndSARS protesters arrested in Lagos in 2020, are being arbitrarily held in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.
The organization also noted that Eight #EndSARS protesters have been detained without trial in Ikoyi Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos since 2020.
The Amnesty International report added that many peaceful #EndSARS protesters have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in detention since 2020.
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.
