EndSARS Activist, Eromosele Adene, Gets Bail

Femi Ashekun/

#EndSARS protester, Eromosele Adene, has finally been granted bail by a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The case commenced at about 11am with the prosecutor from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) requesting the magistrate grants the police a remand order to keep Eromosele in custody while he’s being investigated for acts including criminal incitement under Nigeria’s Terrorism Act.

The police prosecutor further argues that Eromosele’s fundamental rights can be temporarily seized to prevent the commission of a crime.

He submits that organisers could be arrested if they allow peaceful protests snowball into anarchy, hinting at the recent #EndSARS protests as an example.

But Eromosele’s counsel, Tunde Jinadu, describes the application filed by the police as “a threat to his fundamental rights”.

“All weapons fashioned against him shall fail,” he says.

He argues that police have had enough time to investigate the case since he had spent 10 days in custody already, adding that his client’s freedom should not depend on the ability of the police to speedily investigate the case against him.

He submits that Eromosele’s has the constitutional right to call for a protest, and notes that he has not been accused of calling for a riot.

“They (police) are trying to overreach not only the defendant, but the court of law,” he says.

He adds that Eromosele is being used as a scapegoat by the police and urges the court “not allow itself to be used to cover incompetence”.

He then requests that the court grants bail to Eromosele.

The Magistrates in his ruling admits Eromosele to bail in the sum of one million naira with two sureties in like sum.

He adds that one of the sureties must own landed property and they must both be tax payers.

Several policemen had 10 days ago arrested Eromosele at his residence in Ikeja and took him to the police command headquarters and then transferred him to the Area F Command before detaining him at the SCID, Panti. He was last Monday flown to Abuja and detained for seven days before being brought back to Lagos on Sunday.

Attempts by the police to secretly arraign yesterday before a Magistrate, O.A. Salau, of the Yaba Chief Magistrates ‘Court was botched, forcing the Magistrate to adjourn hearing till today.

The case was however moved to a new court (before a new magistrate) today.

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