Oh good, another victory for the Nigerian justice system. The Punch reports that Rasheed Wasiu, an #EndSARS protester, has finally been freed after spending nearly six years behind bars for demanding that police stop killing people.

Six years. Let that sink in. Six years for participating in protests against police brutality in 2020. While the officers who committed the brutalities that sparked the protests? Well, I'm sure they're doing just fine.

For those keeping score at home, that's 2,190 days of a man's life stolen for exercising what most civilized societies consider a basic human right: the freedom to assemble and petition for redress of grievances. But then again, we're talking about a government that responded to anti-police brutality protests by having security forces open fire on protesters at Lekki Toll Gate.

The #EndSARS movement began as a call to end the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit so brutal it made regular Nigerian police look restrained. Citizens took to the streets demanding accountability, reform, and basic human dignity. The government's response was swift and predictable: arrest the protesters, not the officers they were protesting against.

Wasiu's release comes not through justice, but through what appears to be mercy — or perhaps the authorities finally realized that keeping a protest organizer locked up for half a decade wasn't the best look internationally. His freedom is a reminder of how many others remain imprisoned for believing their countrymen deserved better treatment from their own police force.

This is what happens when you challenge state violence with non-violent protest. They don't reform the system. They don't hold the bad actors accountable. They lock you up and hope everyone forgets why you were protesting in the first place.