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Nigerian actor and comedian, Adebowale Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has charged the Nigerian police to release all unjustly imprisoned protesters who were taken during the 2020 #ENDSARS protests.
On Friday, October 20, 2023, Mr Macaroni led a peaceful protest on the third anniversary of the tragic Lekki massacre that happened in 2020. During the peaceful walk, he called on the Nigerian police to do right by the people and release all the protesters from 2020 who are still in their custody.
"We are here to honour the dead, to honour the lives of those that were lost on October 20, 2020. I want to use this opportunity to call for the unconditional release of all those who are still unjustly imprisoned. There are still some protesters who have been in prison since 2020, lawyers have been on the case every day but till now they're still there. We are using this opportunity to call those concerned once again for the unconditional release of the protesters," said the actor.
Going further, Mr Macaroni stressed that the reason he and many Nigerians protest is because they want to see improvements in the country during their own lifetime.
He said, "Some of us are still here because we love this country so much and we don't want this country to burn. We want things to be better in own generation. That is why we always do this so that people never forget. We all deserve better."
The actor has been extra active since 2020 in terms of his activism. Alongside activists like Falz and Aisha Yesufu, Mr Macaroni is one of the most notable faces behind the historic #ENDSARS protests which sought to end police brutality in Nigeria. Like many Nigerians, he was arrested and brutalised at the first memorial gathering in 2021.