A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has convicted and discharged six men who were on trial for breaching public peace during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
The defendants, Daniel Joyinbo (31), Adigun Sodiq (28), Kehinde Shola (32), Salaudeen Kamilu (29), Sodiq Usseni (33), and Azeez Isiaka (34), had entered a plea bargain agreement and pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them by the Lagos State Government.
Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi, after reviewing the plea bargain, found the defendants guilty. However, instead of sentencing them, she cautioned and discharged the men, noting that they had already spent nearly four years in custody.
Earlier, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Dr. Babajide Martins presented an amended charge, stating that the defendants committed the offence on November 23, 2020, in Ebutte Metta, Lagos. He urged the court to sentence them based on their guilty plea.
The defendants’ lawyer, T.D. Ojeshino, pleaded for leniency, highlighting that they were first-time offenders and had been in custody since 2020. He requested that the court temper justice with mercy.
