3years after – #EndSARS protester arraigned for alleged rifle possession
Three years after the #EndSARS protests, one of the protesters who is still being held in prison, Rasheed Bolaji Wasiu, was on Tuesday arraigned before the Lagos State High Court at the Tafa Balewa Square for alleged possession of firearms.
Wasiu, who has been in Kirikiri Medium Security Prison in Lagos since 2020, was arraigned before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.
He is facing a count of possession of firearms preferred against him by the Lagos State Government.
The state prosecution counsel, Tola Anyabisi, told the court that Wasiu was found in possession of a locally made pistol gun, AK47 rifle and four live cartridges.
Anyabisi said the firearms found on the defendant were in circumstances reasonably indicating that Wasiu’s possession of the gun was with the intent to allegedly commit armed robbery.
She said that the defendant committed the alleged offence, with one other who is at large.
The prosecutor told the court that the incident took place between October 20 and 21, 2020, at about 2 pm, in Suru Alaba and Mile 2 Garage areas of Lagos.
According to the prosecutor, the offence committed contravened Section 298 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
When the charge was read to the defendant, he said he understood but when asked whether he was guilty or not, he didn’t know how to respond until his counsel, Mr Adesina Ogunlana, told the court that the charge should be interpreted to him in Yoruba as he doesn’t understand English.
Ogunlana said, “Just before the case was called for his arraignment, I spoke with him and he didn’t even understand Yoruba very well until his mates now interpreted it to him in the same Yoruba.
“I asked him how many times he had been brought to court, he didn’t understand what I said. He has been in detention for four years in the wake of #EndSARS.”
Consequently, Justice Adesanya asked that the charge be interpreted to him in the Yoruba Language.
However, when the charge was interpreted to Wasiu in Yoruba, he quickly responded in Yoruba that the AK47 rifle and the four cartridges were found on one Richard Ejiofor but that it was now framed on him.
“Richard Ejiofor was the one that they got all these things from but they now framed it on me,” he said.
Justice Adesanya then asked him if his plea in essence was not guilty, and he said, “Yes,” that he was not guilty.
The case was adjourned to June 24 and 25, for the commencement of trial.
Amnesty International, had in a recent report, accused the Nigerian authorities of having attempted to justify the ongoing detention of #EndSARS protesters by resorting to trumped-up charges including theft, arson, possession of unlawful firearms, and murder.
According to the international human rights advocacy group, the Nigerian Army and police killed at least 12 people at the Lekki toll gate and in Alausa, Lagos State, while pro-government armed groups allegedly deliberately instigated violence at many #EndSARS demonstrations in other parts of the country to serve as a pretext for the police to use lethal force on peaceful protesters.
“Rather than bringing those responsible for the attacks on protesters to justice, the authorities have engaged in a series of bizarre denials and cover-ups,” AI said.
