The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to pay ₦10 million in damages for the unlawful arrest and detention of #EndSARS protesters during a memorial rally in 2024.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Musa Kakaki ruled that the police violated the fundamental rights of demonstrators who had gathered peacefully at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2024, to mark the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protests.
Officers of the Lagos State Police Command reportedly arrested at least 20 individuals at the scene, holding them in police vans for several hours without formal charges before eventually releasing them.
The legal action, filed as a fundamental rights enforcement suit, was brought by 22 protesters along with three civic organisations: the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Take It Back Movement (TIB), and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
Named among the individual applicants were Hassan Taiwo Soweto, Uadiale Kingsley, Ilesanmi Kehinde, Osopale Adeseye, Olamilekan Sanusi, Osugba Blessing, Kayode Agbaje, Michael Adedeji, Jennifer Rita Obiora, Orunsola Oluremi, Seyi Akinde, Akin Okunowon, Ugochukwu Prince, Aisha Omolara, Thomas Abiodun Olamide, Ogbu Obinna Ferdinald, Aghedo Kehinde Stephen, Duroonike Olawale, Isaac Obasi, Funmilayo Jolade Ajayi, and Afeez Suleiman.
The respondents in the suit included the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, the Governor of Lagos State, and the Attorney-General of Lagos State.
The applicants had sought legal redress for what they described as unlawful arrest, detention, and the infringement of their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
Justice Kakaki’s ruling reaffirms the right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest without fear of intimidation or unlawful detention, marking a significant victory for civil liberties and democratic expression in Nigeria.