A Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has on Thursday, vacated earlier order detaining 3 youth activists at the Olokuta Correctional Facility.
The three youth activists were controversially detained at the instance of the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo, whose pressed petition against the trio resulted in their detention at the Olokuta Correctional Facility.
The court in its emergency proceeding which held today dismissed the remand application filed by Ajulo’s office, which sought the continued detention of the youths.
A source who witnessed the court proceedings confirmed to journalists that the judge struck out the application, describing it as lacking merit.
“The remand application was dismissed, and the youths were granted bail by the court,” the source told SaharaReporters shortly after the ruling.
This development was recorded in less than 24 hours after waves of angry residents and youth groups flooded the streets of Akure in protest.
The protesters criticized Ajulo over what they described as the unlawful detention of the activists and further accused Ajulo of wielding the machinery of the state in the pursuance of personal vendettas.
In multiple videos obtained by Citizen Rapporteur, the protesters, mainly students and youth leaders, were seen chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with inscriptions like #AjuloMustGo, #FreeTheActivists, and #JusticeForAkokoYouths.
The streets of the state capital echoed with chants of “Ajulo has betrayed the youth! Sack him now!”
The controversy stems from a heated exchange on March 28 between the Attorney-General and three executive members of the Akoko Youth Forum, Adediran Gabriel, Yaya Bisola, and Akeju Blessing James, at his office.
The youths were harassed and verbally assaulted before being detained by a combined team of police officers and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Though briefly released after public pressure mounted, the activists were later dragged to court on what the Ondo State Youth Network (OSYN) described as “baseless, defective, and politically motivated charges.”
“This is not justice. This is naked persecution,” said OSYN’s Public Relations Officer, Christopher Olusa, while speaking on the prolonged detention.
“These youths committed no crime. Their only offence was standing up to a powerful man who now wants to silence them using the instruments of the state,” he added.
The youth network had earlier vowed statewide resistance if attempts were made to transfer the activists to Olokuta Correctional Centre, describing such a move as “provocative and intolerable.”
