How Boy Who Stood Before Peter Obi’s Convoy Regained Freedom After Months In Kirikiri

Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year-old boy who captured national attention during the 2023 presidential election when he bravely stood before Labour Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has regained his freedom after spending months at the Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre on what his lawyers described as a “diabolical frame-up” by the Nigeria Police.

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, the lead counsel who represented Quadri, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

“We are excited to announce that Quadri Yusuf Alabi… has been freed by the court today,” Effiong said. “Our client was abducted by two ‘Area Boys’… and dumped at the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters (Pako Police Station) in Lagos State.”

According to Effiong, the teenager’s ordeal began when he was kidnapped by two local thugs, known in the community as Lege and Baba Waris, who had been harassing him since 2023 over donations he received following his viral moment during the election period. The young man was reportedly returning from work when he was seized by the duo and handed over to the police, who falsely accused him of street fighting.

“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,” Effiong revealed.

In a shocking turn, the police on January 26, 2025, presented Quadri before a Magistrate in Apapa and secured an order remanding him on a fabricated charge of armed robbery.

Worse still, the teenager was grouped with four unknown adult men by the police, who falsely claimed they were his accomplices.“The police fraudulently joined Quadri with four strange adults… and misrepresented his age to be 18,” Effiong stated. “This was clearly done to cover up the illegality and reduce scrutiny.”

The case, which gained renewed attention after it was spotlighted by prison rights advocate Hassana Nurudeen, Co-founder of Ray of Hope Prison Outreach, prompted Effiong and his legal team to intervene swiftly.

At Wednesday’s court hearing, Magistrate A. O. Olorunfemi ruled that the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, found no evidence linking Quadri to armed robbery.“

In his Legal Advice, the DPP recommended the non-prosecution of Quadri. Thus, the presiding Magistrate discharged him and he was accordingly freed,” Effiong said, praising the DPP “for standing by the truth.”

However, Effiong did not stop there. He called for immediate disciplinary action against the officers involved in the ordeal, including the Divisional Police Officer of Amukoko and Inspector Odigbe Samuel, accusing them of participating in what he described as an “evil, sinister, oppressive, and corrupt scheme.”

“We demand that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, and the Inspector General of Police… remove the DPO of Amukoko Divisional Headquarters and subject him to orderly room trial,” he said.

The legal team is also demanding a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force and compensation of N100 million for the damages suffered by Quadri.

Effiong warned that failure to meet these demands will result in legal action: “If the above three remedial demands are not fully complied with immediately, we shall initiate legal actions to seek redress.”

He concluded with a somber reflection on the state of the Nigerian justice system: “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.”

(The Sun, excluding headline)