Amnesty International has called for the unconditional release of Imoleayo Micheal, a computer programmer who has been detained by the Department of State Services since 2020 for participating in the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in Nigeria. Imoleayo is facing bogus charges and appeared in court on Wednesday, as reported by Amnesty International Nigeria.
The human rights body urged all well-meaning Nigerians and organizations to demand his release and for charges against him to be dropped. Amnesty International also highlighted the violation of Imoleayo’s rights, including how security agencies locked his wife, seven-month-old son, and aged mother in a room after disconnecting electricity to their house.
Imoleayo was detained in an underground cell for 41 days without access to a lawyer or his family, after being chained to the ground and fed with food mixed with stones.
Amnesty International’s report emphasized the importance of joining efforts to ensure that the rights of those who participated in peaceful protests are upheld, and those who were detained are released unconditionally.
