The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has confirmed that no #EndSARS protesters are currently in their custody across the nation. This statement follows a call by Senator Shehu Sani, during the 2024 Democracy Day speech, urging President Bola Tinubu to release all protesters arrested during the #EndSARS demonstrations.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, addressed these claims, stating, “The Nigeria Police Force categorically denies the recent allegations made by Senator Shehu Sani at the 2024 Democracy Day dinner on June 12, 2024, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where the former Senator falsely claimed that some young people have been detained since the 2020 #EndSARS protest.”
Adejobi emphasized that no individuals are being unlawfully detained due to the #EndSARS protests. “All arrested individuals have been processed according to the law, and none remain unlawfully detained,” he asserted.
The police also highlighted that in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had pardoned approximately 100 suspects arrested during the protest. “For emphasis, no one anywhere in Nigeria is under police detention or being wrongly persecuted for participating in the #EndSARS protest. The issues surrounding the protest have been debated, researched, and documented, and lessons have been learned. We have forgiven ourselves and moved on,” the statement added.