NIGERIA:Peter Obi’s Teen Supporter, Quadri Alabi, Freed After Months In Kirikiri Prison

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year-old who gained public admiration during the 2023 elections for standing in front of the convoy of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has regained his freedom after spending nearly three months at the Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre.

He was imprisoned over a trumped-up armed robbery charge.

Quadri was discharged by a Magistrate Court in Apapa, Lagos, on Thursday, following legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, which stated that there was no evidence linking him to any crime.

According to a statement by his legal counsel, Inibehe Effiong, Quadri was abducted near his residence in Amukoko, Ajeromi-Ifelodun LGA, by two known area boys, “Lege” and “Baba Waris.”

They had allegedly been harassing him since 2023 over donations he received after his viral moment with Peter Obi.

Effiong explained that after forcibly taking Quadri to the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters, the area boys initially accused him of street fighting.

However, the narrative was later escalated by the police, who on January 26, 2025, arraigned him alongside four unknown adults on a charge of armed robbery and misrepresented his age as 18 to downplay the legal implications of detaining a minor.

“This case is a painful example of the monstrous impunity and corruption festering in the Nigeria Police Force. Quadri was targeted, framed, and abandoned in prison without evidence — all because he refused to ‘settle’ rogue elements in his community,” Effiong said.

Effiong praised the DPP for his integrity and commitment to justice.

Magistrate A.O. Olorunfemi, who presided over the case, formally discharged Quadri based on the DPP’s recommendation for non-prosecution.

In a firm demand for accountability, Effiong called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to immediately remove and discipline the Divisional Police Officer of Amukoko Police Station, Inspector Odigbe Samuel, and other officers involved in what he described as an “evil, sinister, oppressive, and corrupt scheme.”

The legal team also demanded a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force and a compensation of N100 million for Quadri.

Failure to meet these demands, Effiong warned, would lead to a legal showdown.

Quadri’s ordeal has reignited public discourse about police abuse, wrongful detentions, and the ease with which innocent Nigerians, particularly the youth are railroaded into the criminal justice system.

Effiong said “This is not just about Quadri. There are many more like him, silenced and forgotten in detention centers across the country. History will vindicate the just.”