Police to Sani: No EndSARS Protesters in Our Custody

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF), yesterday, said that the allegations credited to former Senator Shehu Sani that the police were still holding 2020 EndSARS protesters in its detention facilities across Nigeria was not only false but misleading.

A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the police categorically denied the allegations made by Sani at the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner on June 12, 2024, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

It said that the former senator falsely claimed that some young people have been detained since the 2020 EndSARS protest.

“The Nigeria Police affirm 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,” the force spokesperson said.

While urging the public to disregard this claim, Adejobi, assured citizens of police commitment to upholding justice, the rule of law, and human rights.

“We encourage verifying information before making public  statements to avoid harm and incitement,” Adejobi admonished influential citizens.