The Apapa Magistrate Court (Court 9), sitting at Orege, Ajegunle Sikiru Adagun Courthouse, has discharged and acquitted Alabi Quadri, the young Nigerian who became a national symbol of courage during the 2023 general elections for bravely standing in front of the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Quadri was cleared of charges bordering on conspiracy to commit felony and armed robbery, with the court ruling that he had no case to answer.
He appeared in court on Thursday, April 17, 2025, after spending several months in Kirikiri Prison, Lagos.
The Nigerian Correctional Service presented him before the Apapa Magistrate Court, even though his case was originally scheduled for hearing on April 28, 2025.
However, human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong revealed that both he and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) requested the date be brought forward, a request the court approved.
Quadri first gained national attention through a viral video that showed him, then a teenager, fearlessly standing in front of Peter Obi’s campaign convoy, a powerful image that many Nigerians saw as a symbol of youthful defiance and hope during the heated 2023 elections.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has revealed that Alabi Quadri’s recent ordeal in the Nigerian prison system was not due to any serious criminal offence, but rather the result of long-standing resentment from some self-proclaimed ‘area boys’ (local thugs) in his community.
According to Effiong, these individuals were envious of the unexpected public attention, goodwill, and financial support Alabi received after a viral video showed him boldly standing in front of Peter Obi’s convoy during the 2023 presidential campaign — a moment that made him a national symbol of courage. The ‘area boys’ allegedly felt entitled to a share of the benefits Alabi received and, driven by bitterness, set him up.
Effiong, who recently visited the Apapa Magistrate Court in Lagos with Alabi’s mother and fellow legal colleagues, described Alabi’s path to Kirikiri Prison as deeply heartbreaking and the result of a targeted vendetta.
He revealed that in January, while returning home from work, Alabi was abducted near his residence by the same ‘area boys’ who had been threatening him. They reportedly took him to the Amukoko Police Station, commonly known as Pako Police Station, accusing him of being involved in street fights.
Following that, Alabi was arraigned before a Magistrate Court alongside four individuals he had never met, on charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery using cutlasses.
The charge sheet claimed that the supposed victims were robbed of N579,000, including cash and four mobile phones.
Effiong further stressed that despite being a minor at the time, Alabi had been held in Kirikiri Prison with adult inmates since January, awaiting legal advice from the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
