Quadri Alabi, the 17-year-old boy, who became popular after standing in front of the convoy of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has been released from the Kiriri Correctional Centre in Lagos.
Alabi had spent about three months in custody after he was accused of armed robbery by the police, an allegation the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of the state’s Ministry of Justice, Dr. Babajide Martins, said could not be proved.
An Apapa magistrates’ court presided over by Magistrate A.O Olorunfemi discharged the teenager on Thursday, just as the defence lead counsel, Barr. Inibehe Effiong, demaded N100m damages from the police.
“We are excited to announce that Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year old teenager who gained fame during the 2023 elections after he spontaneously jumped and stood in front of the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has been freed by the court today, 17th April, 2025,” Effiong said in a statement.
He said two hoodlums colloquially known as ‘Area Boys’ in Amukoko community where Alabi lives with his family Alabi had accosted him while he was returning from work and taken him to the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters.
The duo and other ‘Area Boys’ in the community had reportedly been harassing and threatening Alabi since 2023 for not giving them “their share” of donations gifted him during the last elections period.
“Quadri’s family informed us that the Baale of the community equally pressured them to buy a cow and rice and cook for the community to appease the Area Boys. The abductors initially told the officers at Amukoko Police Station that our client was involved in street fighting.
“To the consternation of Quadri and his family, the police on 26th January, 2025 took Quadri before a Magistrate in Apapa, and obtained an order remanding him at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri on a trumped-up charge of armed robbery.
“The police fraudulently joined Quadri with four strange adults who had no form of connection or relationship whatsoever with him and claimed that the four strange men were his case mates. As part of the diabolical frame-up of our client, the officers at Amukoko Police Station also misrepresented his age to be 18, knowing that disclosing his actual age would likely raise eyebrows,” the cousel stated.
Effiong, an human rights lawyer, explained that he and his team escalated the matter and took necessary steps towards securing Alabi’s freedom after they were briefed by his mother a week ago.
“At the Court today (Thursday), the presiding Magistrate, His Honour, A. O. Olorunfemi (Mrs.), confirmed that the legal advice issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), of the Ministry of Justice, Lagos State, Dr. Babajide Martins showed that there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation of armed robbery against Quadri.
“In his Legal Advice, the DPP recommended the non-prosecution of Quadri. Thus, the presiding Magistrate discharged him and he was accordingly freed. We commend the DPP for standing by the truth in this matter,” he added.
The lawyer demanded that the police authorities to, as a matter of urgency, remove the DPO of Amukoko Divisional Headquarters and subject him to orderly room trial alongside the investigation police officer, “one Inspector Odigbe Samuel, and other officers who participated in this evil, sinister, oppressive, and corrupt scheme of framing-up a teenager for armed robbery at the behest of rogue ‘Area Boys’.”
“We demand that the Nigeria Police Force should pay the sum of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000.00) to our client as compensation. Also, we demand a public apology from the police,” Effiong said, vowing to initiate legal actions to seek address if these demands were not fully met immediately.
“Quadri’s case is a painful example of the putrefying corruption, monstrous impunity, and pervasive injustice in the Nigeria Police Force. There are many Quadris languishing in detention centres across Nigeria because of the unbridled criminality, lawlessness, and lack of accountability in the Police institution and the weakness of the justice system,” he said.
(Daily Trust)
