Published 17th Jun, 2021

By Adeola Oladipupo

Peaceful protesters who were unjustly arrested and jailed during the EndSARS protest last year were blamed by other inmates and warders for the destruction of public property that resulted in the closure of courts, it has been revealed.

Nicholas Mba, a protester who was released on Tuesday, made the disclosure while speaking with FIJ on Friday.

Infrastructure, including courts and police stations were destroyed when hoodlums believed to be sponsored by politicians, infiltrated and hijacked the demonstration asking for an end to bad governancethe and the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Police notorious for unprofessional conducts.

“They were blaming us that we were the cause of the court strike and apart from the strike, they said we were the cause of the burning of courts and police stations,” Mbah told FIJ.

“They said we were the cause of the inmates not going to court because some of them were destroyed. They used all those things against us.

“Both the warders and the inmates blamed us but that of the inmates was worse. They were angry that we were the reason they were not going to court for their trials.”

Peaceful protest is legal in the country, but FIJ learned that peaceful EndSARS protesters who were arrested were falsely charged with criminal offences including rape, stealing, robbery and arson by the police in a bid to prolong their illegal detention.

Many of them are still imprisoned in many states of the federation, the Kirikiri Prison in Lagos especially.

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