A Lagos State High Court at the Tafa Balewa Square has scheduled the trial of Rasheed Bolaji Wasiu, one of the #EndSARS protesters detained in prison without trial for three years, for June 24th.
Wasiu is accused of possessing firearms and has been held in Kirikiri Medium Security Prison since 2020.
The state prosecution counsel, Tola Ayanbisi, claimed that Wasiu was found to have a locally made pistol gun, an AK47 rifle, and four live cartridges in his possession.
The prosecution alleges that Wasiu had the firearms with the intention of committing armed robbery and that he committed the offence with another person who is currently at large.
The incident occurred between October 20th and 21st, 2020, in the Suru Alaba and Mile 2 Garage areas of Lagos. The prosecution claims that the offence committed contravenes Section 298 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
Read Also: Police Arraigns EndSARs Protesters Over Attempted Arson
During the arraignment, Wasiu indicated that he did not understand English, so the charge was read to him in Yoruba. When asked if he was guilty or not, he initially did not respond and his counsel, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, requested that the charge be translated into Yoruba for him.
Upon hearing the charge in Yoruba, Wasiu responded that the AK47 rifle and four cartridges were found on someone else, Richard Ejiofor and that they were framed on him.
Justice Adesanya then asked if his plea was not guilty, to which Wasiu responded that he was not guilty.
Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian authorities of justifying the detention of #EndSARS protesters with false charges, including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder. The group also claims that the Nigerian Army and police killed at least 12 people during the protests, while pro-government armed groups instigated violence at other demonstrations to justify the police’s use of force on peaceful protesters.
