On Monday, Lagos-based human rights lawyer Tope Temokun Esq criticized the Nigerian police for their assertion that no #EndSARS protesters remain in custody.
This response came after Senator Shehu Sani called on President Bola Tinubu to release all detained protesters.
Temokun argued that the police's statement is misleading, stating, "The governments of various states and the Nigerian Correctional Service are in the best position to provide accurate records." He emphasized that the police’s claim suffers from a fallacy of hasty generalization.
Illustrating his point, Temokun recounted his representation of Kemisola, an #EndSARS detainee who was granted bail by the High Court of Ondo State in June 2021 after being held since October 2020. Her case was only dismissed in July 2023 due to the inability to locate key witnesses. "Many other detainees were not as fortunate to have legal representation or have their cases dismissed," he noted.
Temokun maintained that the police lack comprehensive data to accurately respond to Sani’s call, suggesting that the Nigerian Correctional Service and state governments are better equipped to provide such information. He urged President Tinubu to instruct the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Ministry of Interior to disclose the number of #EndSARS detainees and their current status, asserting that such transparency could be a critical step in the nation's healing process.
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