By: Daure David
After months of wrongful incarceration, 17-year-old Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the teenager who gained national attention during the 2023 elections for standing boldly in front of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has been discharged and freed by a Lagos court.
Quadri’s release was ordered today, April 17, 2025, by Magistrate A.O. Olorunfemi at the Apapa Magistrate Court following a damning legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins. The DPP’s advice stated that there was no evidence linking the teenager to the alleged armed robbery for which he had been detained since January.
According to his lawyer, human rights advocate Inibehe Effiong, Quadri’s ordeal began when he was abducted by two notorious “Area Boys” — identified as Lege and Baba Waris — near his family home in Amukoko, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area. They reportedly handed him over to police at the Amukoko Divisional Headquarters, falsely accusing him of street fighting.
The teenager had faced persistent harassment from local gangs who believed they were entitled to a portion of donations he received after his 2023 encounter with Peter Obi went viral. His family alleges they were even pressured by the community’s Baale to appease the gangs with gifts, including a cow and bags of rice.
What began as a false accusation of street fighting escalated into a shocking miscarriage of justice. On January 26, 2025, police officers took Quadri to court and obtained a remand order on a fabricated charge of armed robbery. In a further attempt to legitimize the charge, police reportedly misrepresented Quadri’s age as 18 and linked him with four unrelated adult suspects.
Effiong, who took up the case after it was spotlighted by Ms. Hassana Nurudeen, co-founder of Ray of Hope Prison Outreach, expressed outrage over the blatant abuse of power. “This is a clear-cut case of frame-up. It is an evil, sinister, and corrupt scheme orchestrated by rogue elements within the police,” he said.
He commended the DPP for his integrity and called for swift disciplinary action against the officers involved, particularly the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Amukoko Division and Inspector Odigbe Samuel, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO). Effiong also demanded the Nigeria Police Force pay N100 million in compensation to Quadri and issue a public apology.
“If these demands are not met, we will take all necessary legal actions,” he stated.
The case has sparked renewed concerns about corruption and abuse within Nigeria’s policing and justice systems. “There are many Quadris out there, suffering in silence under false accusations,” Effiong noted. “History will vindicate the just.”
Quadri’s release brings relief to his family and supporters but also raises troubling questions about systemic failures in law enforcement and the need for urgent reform.
