A human rights lawyer and activist, Inibehe Effiong, has disclosed how a teenage sensation in the country had been locked up at a federal correctional center in Lagos State.
The teenager, Alabi Quadri, went viral in February 2023 during the buildup to the presidential election.
He was pictured stretching his arms in front of the motorcade of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the election.
During the encounter which occurred at campaign stop in Lagos, Obi stood through the open roof of his car to respond to Quadri’s gesture with a broad smile.
However, an activist posted on X that the teenager is currently languishing in Kirikiri prison for an offence he did not commit.
He was said to returning home from work when he was forcefully taken to the police station by some young men over claims that he was among a group of robbers in the community.
The post caught the attention of many Nigerians, including Obi and Effiong who promised to intervene.
In an update on his plight, Effiong said he and Quadri’s family members visited him at the custodial centre on Wednesday.
He said the teenager has been in custody since January.
According to him, Quadri’s mother attributed his ordeal to the action of some street urchins who allegedly wanted part of the largesse received after the viral incident.
He said the urchins plotted against him after his alleged refusal to “properly settle” them.
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Narrating his ordeal, Effiong said “After abducting Alabi, the same area boys who have been threatening to deal with him for not sharing the money he was gifted dragged him to the Amukoko Police Station (Pako Police Station), where he was detained.
“They initially claimed that Quadri was one of the young men who had been involved in street fights.
“However, it came as a rude shock when the Police took him before a Magistrate along with four other individuals who are complete strangers to him, alleging that he conspired with them to commit ‘armed robbery’ with cutlasses.
“The police in the charge sheet alleged that the two victims were robbed of money and four mobile phones.
“The value of both the physical cash and four phones is N579,000 only”, he said.
Effiong stated that he spent about two hours interviewing him about the veracity of the charges brought by the police.
“Speaking objectively, we all left Kirikiri with a strong conviction that this gentleman is just another victim of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
“The last point that we want to state on the record is that Quadri is a Minor. He is less than 18 years old.
“Currently, he has appeared before the Magistrate on three occasions.
“The court remanded him along with the four strange individuals who are all adults at the custodial centre pending legal advice by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)”, he noted.
The lawyer said his team will do everything “legally permissible” to secure the release of the minor
