Teenager Quadri Alabi, who gained national attention for standing in front of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy during the 2023 campaign, has recounted a harrowing two-month detention at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, the teenager Alabi alleged he was wrongfully arrested and subjected to degrading treatment while in custody.
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“Since the viral campaign picture surfaced, it seems like some people have been keeping a close watch on me,” he said, adding, “Someone even threatened my mum, saying that the money they have given me would be split in two, or else she wouldn’t see me again.”
He recalled he was arrested in January after returning from work as a motor boy, unaware that a fight had broken out in his neighbourhood and that police had cordoned off the area.
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“As I approached our house, some area boys grabbed me and handed me over to another, instructing them to take me to their station,” he said. “I was just at the entrance of my house when the police came and arrested me.”
He said he was robbed of his phone and money before being taken into custody, where he was held with adult detainees and eventually transferred to Kirikiri.
“In Kirikiri, my daily task was to clean up faeces from morning until six in the evening because I couldn’t afford to pay the marshall,” he recounted.
Alabi rose to online fame after a striking image of him went viral, showing him standing resolutely with arms outstretched sideways, directly facing Mr Obi’s convoy during a campaign event in Lagos for the 2023 presidential election.
Police insist Alabi is 18
Despite widespread criticism, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, on Monday ruled apology for Alabi’s detention.
He said Alabi identified himself as 18 years old when arrested.
“In his own statement, the boy said he was 18,” Mr Moshood said on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday. “If you say you’re 18, we will treat you as such.”
Mr Moshood also questioned the authenticity of the birth certificate provided by teenager Alabi’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.
“These days, with AI and technology, anything can be doctored,” he said, dismissing claims that the statement was taken under duress.
Charges dismissed for lack of evidence
The police got a remand order from a magistrate court to detain teenager Alabi to enable them gather evidence.
However, Alabi was released from Kirikiri on 17 April after an Apapa magistrate court in Lagos struck out the case for lack of evidence, based on advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Babajide Martins.
This newspaper reported that the DPP found no basis for the armed robbery charge filed against him.
Also, the same advice also led to the non-prosecution of a co-defendant, Muiz Animashaun.
Following the court’s decision, police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, said Alabi was arrested in connection with a violent street clash in the Amukoko area on 22 January.
He said the incident involved multiple injuries, property damage, and reports of robbery, adding that community members had identified suspects, including Alabi.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Hundeyin insisted that the police acted on credible information and completed investigations before charging the suspects in court.
Mr Moshood insisted that the police had not received the DPP’s legal advice and were not informed of Alabi’s release.
“We don’t know if he was granted bail, acquitted, or discharged,” Mr Moshood said. “We’ll verify what is in the DPP’s advice before taking any steps.”
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Lawyer alleges setup by ‘area boys’
Alabi’s lawyer, Mr Effiong, accused the police of acting on false claims by local thugs identified as “Lege” and “Baba Waris,” who allegedly orchestrated a frame-up out of envy over his viral fame and the financial gift he received from the attention he gained during Mr Obi’s 2023 campaign.
“These self-acclaimed area boys fabricated the story to get him in trouble,” Mr Effiong said. “They abducted him and handed him to the police.”
His case, originally scheduled for trial on 28 April, was dropped after a growing public outcry led by rights advocates, including Hassana Nurudeen, co-founder of Ray of Hope Prison Outreach.
Mr Effiong said he confirmed Alabi’s detention at the Apapa Magistrates’ Court during a visit on 9 April, prompting legal steps that led to the teenager’s eventual release.
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