On Thursday, July 24, 2025, a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Musa Kakaki, ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to pay ₦10 million in damages to #EndSARS protesters for violating their fundamental rights during the fourth memorial rally on October 20, 2024. The applicants, including Mr. Hassan Soweto, Mr. Uadiale Kingsley, Mr. Ilesanmi Kehinde, Mr. Osopale Adeseye, Mr. Olamilekan Sanusi, and Ms. Osugba Blessing, alongside groups like the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Take It Back Movement (TIBM), and Campaign for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), alleged that police fired live ammunition and tear gas, brutally beat protesters, and arbitrarily arrested them during the peaceful procession. Mr. Soweto, in an affidavit, detailed being beaten, tear-gassed, and detained in a Black Maria for hours before transfer to Panti Police Station, where they were held for four hours without charges.
Justice Kakaki ruled that the police’s actions infringed on the protesters’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and association under the 1999 Constitution, emphasizing that law enforcement must operate within democratic principles and the rule of law. The court condemned the excessive force used under the pretext that the rally occurred outside a permitted location, as argued by the applicants’ lawyer, Mr. Joseph Opute. The ₦10 million compensation aims to address the harassment and unlawful detention, reinforcing the judiciary’s role in protecting citizens’ rights amid ongoing concerns about police conduct, as echoed in X posts by @SERAPNigeria and @SaharaReporters on July 24, 2025, praising the ruling as a step toward justice for #EndSARS activists.
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