The Nigerian Police Force has categorically denied claims made by former Senator Shehu Sani that some young Nigerians arrested during the EndSARS protest of 2020 remain in detention. In a statement issued on behalf of Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun by Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the police asserted that there are “no EndSARS protesters still in detention.”
This response came after Senator Sani, speaking at the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner on June 12 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, urged President Bola Tinubu to facilitate the release of these young detainees. The police’s denial aims to refute Sani’s allegations and clarify the status of those involved in the EndSARS protests, a movement that saw widespread demonstrations against police brutality in Nigeria.
In his reaction, Adejobi said “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.
“The Nigeria Police affirms that no individual is being unlawfully detained by the Nigeria Police Force or any other security agency in Nigeria due to the EndSARS protest. All arrested individuals have been processed according to the law, and none remain unlawfully detained. In Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu pardoned approximately 100 suspects arrested by the Police 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 learnt. We have forgiven ourselves and moved on.
“We encourage verifying information before making public statements to avoid harm and incitement”.
