Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year-old boy who drew national attention during the 2023 presidential election after boldly standing in front of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has regained his freedom after spending months in detention on what has now been confirmed as a false charge of armed robbery.

Quadri was discharged today by a Magistrate’s Court in Apapa, Lagos, following legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which found no evidence linking him to the alleged crime.

According to a statement released by his legal counsel, Inibehe Effiong, the teenager was abducted near his family home in Amukoko, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, by two individuals identified as Lege and Baba Waris — both known in the community as notorious “Area Boys.”

The assailants reportedly handed him over to officers at the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters (Pako Police Station), initially claiming he was involved in a street fight. However, on January 26, 2025, the police arraigned Quadri before a Magistrate and secured a remand order to detain him at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kirikiri on a charge of armed robbery.

Effiong stated that Quadri was wrongly charged alongside four adult strangers with whom he had no known relationship. He also alleged that officers deliberately falsified Quadri’s age as 18, likely to circumvent protective legal provisions for minors.

The family’s legal team was alerted to the case just a week ago, following public advocacy by Ms. Hassana Nurudeen, Co-founder of Ray of Hope Prison Outreach. The team promptly took steps to secure his release.

At the hearing today, Magistrate A.O. Olorunfemi (Mrs.) affirmed that the legal advice from the DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins, recommended non-prosecution due to the absence of credible evidence. The court subsequently discharged and released Quadri.

“We commend the DPP for standing by the truth,” Effiong said.

The legal team has now called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to immediately remove the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Amukoko, alongside the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Inspector Odigbe Samuel, and others allegedly involved in what they describe as “a sinister and corrupt scheme.”

They are also demanding N100 million in compensation for Quadri and a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force. Failure to comply, they say, will prompt legal action.

“Quadri’s case is a painful example of the putrefying corruption, monstrous impunity, and pervasive injustice in the Nigeria Police Force,” Effiong added.

He further stressed that Quadri’s ordeal reflects the plight of many innocent Nigerians languishing in detention due to systemic failures within the country’s law enforcement and justice institutions.