An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court on Thursday discharged and acquitted six men who were charged with breaching public peace during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The men—Daniel Joyinbo, 31; Adigun Sodiq, 28; Kehinde Shola, 32; Salaudeen Kamilu, 29; Sodiq Usseni, 33; and Azeez Isiaka, 34—pleaded guilty to a charge of public disturbance in a plea bargain agreement with the Lagos State Government.
After reviewing the plea bargain, Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi found the defendants guilty and convicted them of the offense.
However, she cautioned and discharged them, noting that they had already spent nearly four years in custody.
Earlier, the Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, presented an amended charge, stating that the defendants committed the offense on November 23, 2020, at Ebutte Metta, Lagos, by conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace, violating Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
While urging the court to sentence the defendants based on their plea, the defense lawyer, Mr. T.D Ojeshino, pleaded for leniency, arguing that the defendants were first-time offenders, young, and had been in custody since 2020, during which time they had learned their lessons.
