Lagos boy who stood in front of Obi’s convoy during election detained without trial –Lawyer

Posted by admin Today's Politics, Headlines Thursday, April 10th, 2025

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has described the case of Alabi Quadri, a minor who has been incarcerated at the Kirikiri Minimum Security Custodial Centre in Lagos since January, as a clear failure of Nigeria’s judicial system.

In a preliminary statement shared via X on Wednesday, Effiong revealed that he visited the Magistrate Court of Lagos (Apapa Magisterial District) on April 9, 2025, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Quadri’s arrest and continued detention.

Effiong was accompanied by a colleague from his law firm, Quadri’s mother and other family members, as well as a social activist who helped bring the case to public attention.

“We can confirm that Alabi has been in detention since January. He was abducted by ‘area boys’ near his home while returning from work,” Effiong said.

According to him, both Quadri and his mother believe that his ordeal stems from deep-seated resentment held by local youths who felt entitled to a share of the monetary gift he received following his encounter with Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

“His painful journey to prison can be traced to the longstanding malice harbored by self-proclaimed area boys in his neighborhood. They believed they deserved a share of the unexpected fortune that came Alabi’s way when he bravely stood in front of Mr. Peter Obi’s convoy during the last election campaign,” Effiong explained.

He further stated that the group, frustrated over not receiving any share of the gift, kidnapped Quadri and handed him over to the police at Amukoko (Pako) Police Station, falsely accusing him of involvement in a street fight. The situation escalated when the police charged him and four strangers with armed robbery.

“It was a rude shock when the police took him before a Magistrate, alongside four individuals who are complete strangers to him, alleging that they conspired to commit armed robbery using cutlasses,” Effiong said.

The police claimed that the victims were robbed of money and four mobile phones valued at a total of ₦579,000. Effiong, however, maintains Quadri’s innocence.

“Speaking objectively, we all left Kirikiri with a firm conviction that this young man is simply another victim of Nigeria’s broken criminal justice system,” he said.

“We will provide more details and outline the available legal options in due course. For now, it is sufficient to say that we will pursue every lawful means to secure Alabi’s freedom.”