Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year-old who drew national attention during the 2023 presidential election after standing defiantly before the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, has been released from detention after spending nearly three months at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
His release was ordered by a Magistrate Court in Apapa on Thursday, following legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which found no basis for the armed robbery allegations leveled against him.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who represented the teenager, confirmed the development in a statement on social media, describing the charges as a “diabolical frame-up.” Effiong alleged that local enforcers known as Lege and Baba Waris, operating around the Amukoko axis, were responsible for abducting Alabi and handing him over to law enforcement authorities.
Effiong also disclosed that the teenager had been under threat since 2023, after receiving donations from Obi’s supporters. “The community attempted to coerce his family into appeasement by requesting a cow and a feast,” he noted.
The presiding Magistrate, His Honour A.O. Olorunfemi (Mrs.), acknowledged the legal opinion by the DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins, which clearly recommended that the state should not proceed with prosecuting Alabi due to lack of evidence.
Despite initial claims linking the teenager to a neighborhood scuffle, police went ahead to charge him with armed robbery in January and falsely listed his age as 18. He was remanded alongside four unknown adults.
The matter resurfaced in public discourse earlier this month, thanks to efforts by Hassana Nurudeen, co-founder of the Ray of Hope Prison Outreach, who spotlighted the boy’s ordeal.
Effiong has now called for disciplinary action against the Divisional Police Officer of the Amukoko Police Station, the Investigating Police Officer, and other parties complicit in the case. He is also demanding N100 million in compensation and a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force.
“Quadri’s ordeal is yet another painful reminder of the deep-rooted impunity and injustice embedded within the system,” Effiong said.
