No EndSARS protester who is being held, police fault Shehu Sani

Following his claim at the 2024 Democracy Day Dinner that some of the participants in the 2020 EndSARS rallies were still being held in detention, former senator Shehu Sani was debunked by the Nigeria Police Force.

Wednesday night at the dinner, Sani made a plea to President Bola Tinubu to release the demonstrators who are still being held in custody for EndSARS.

The cops refuted the claim in a press release issued on Sunday and signed by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force’s spokeswoman, saying that everyone who has been detained has been handled legally and that no one is being held in jail at the moment.

The statement read, “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.”

The announcement also mentioned that approximately 100 defendants who were detained during the EndSARS rallies have been pardoned by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“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.

The police also reassured the public that they would continue to protect justice, the rule of law, and human rights, and they advised them to ignore the accusation.

“We encourage verifying information before making public statements to avoid harm and incitement,” the statement concluded.