TEEN FREED FROM PRISON ALLEGES MALTREATMENT, SEEKS JUSTICE. (PHOTO).

 Teen Freed from Prison Alleges Maltreatment, Seeks Justice

Alabi Quadri, a 17-year-old who gained attention during the 2023 general elections for standing in front of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has shared a harrowing account of his detention, claiming he was forced to carry faeces and treated “like an orphan” in prison. Quadri, speaking on Monday, detailed his ordeal after being detained since January 2025 on charges he and his legal team insist were fabricated.

Quadri recounted how his troubles began when local hoodlums demanded a share of donations he received after his viral moment. When his mother refused, tensions escalated. On his way home from work as a motor boy, Quadri said he was accosted by these hoodlums, who handed him over to the police, accusing him of destroying public property and stealing a phone. “I was the youngest in the cell. They took my phone and money,” he said, denying the allegations.

The teenager was charged with armed robbery alongside four others, but on April 17, the Apapa Magistrates’ Court discharged him following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, who found no evidence to substantiate the charges against Quadri and another defendant, Muiz Animashaun.

Quadri’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, condemned the police, accusing officers at Amukoko Divisional Headquarters of framing the minor at the behest of “rogue area boys.” Effiong called for the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to investigate the officers involved and demanded N100 million in compensation for Quadri’s unlawful detention. He dismissed police claims that Quadri was linked to a violent street fight as “slanderous” and “despicable,” noting the DPP’s exoneration and the court’s discharge order.

Expressing gratitude to Nigerians for their support, Quadri voiced his desire to learn a skill and pursue education while living in a school to escape ongoing harassment. “Some people are stalking me,” he said.