#EndSARS: 23-year-old man arrested in Lagos regains freedom — after 15 months in custody

Peter John, a 23-year-old man, who was arrested during the #EndSARS protest in 2020, has been released from the Kirikiri maximum correctional centre.

In October 2020, many youths took to the streets nationwide to protest against police brutality under the #EndSARS movement.

The protest started peacefully but was later hijacked by hoodlums, leading to destruction of public and private properties.

On October 23, 2020, John was arrested by police officers at the Lekki phase one axis on his way to work — he worked as a security guard.

The 23-year-old, who is an indigene of Borno, was accused of destroying public and private properties during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos.

He was detained at the Maroko police station before his arraignment at the Yaba magistrate’s court.

After his arraignment, the magistrate ordered that he should be remanded at the Kirikiri maximum correctional centre.

On Tuesday — after 15 months in custody — he regained his freedom after Festus Ogun, his lawyer, completed the necessary documentation.

The case was initially struck out on December 17, 2021.

Speaking on the development, Ogun, a human rights lawyer, said the case shows that the criminal justice system in Nigeria needs “urgent reforms”.

“While it is pleasing that we got Peter John out of unjust detention, we are of the view that the arrest and prolonged detention should not have happened in the first place if our justice system works,” he told TheCable.

“In the bid to prove a useless point, the authorities wasted over a year of Peter’s life — in pain, agony and hunger.

“His case is just one out of thousands of our young people being punished by a cruel justice system. We’ve gotten to a point in our national life that we must reform our criminal justice system.”