Quadri: Lawyer demands apology, N100m compensation from police

Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has demanded a public apology and N100 million in compensation from the Nigeria Police Force for the unlawful detention and framing of Quadri Yusuf Alabi, a 17-year-old boy who gained public attention during the 2023 elections for boldly standing in front of Peter Obi’s presidential convoy.

Alabi, who was discharged and freed by a Lagos Magistrate Court on April 17, 2025, had spent nearly three months at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kirikiri after being falsely accused of armed robbery—a charge which the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions later found to be baseless.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Effiong, who served as lead counsel in the case, detailed how Quadri was abducted by two notorious area boys, known locally as Lege and Baba Waris, near his residence in the Amukoko area of Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Lagos. According to Effiong, the teenager was dragged to the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters and framed by both the area boys and complicit officers.

“The Area Boys had been threatening him since 2023 for not ‘sharing’ donations he received during the election period,” Effiong said. “The family was even pressured by the community’s Baale to buy a cow and rice to appease these hoodlums.”

Initially accused of street fighting, Quadri’s situation escalated when officers at Amukoko police station conspired to charge him with armed robbery. On January 26, 2025, he was taken before a Magistrate and remanded in Kirikiri. Disturbingly, the police allegedly listed Quadri—who is a minor—as 18 years old and lumped him with four adult strangers as co-defendants in a fabricated robbery case.

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Effiong credited the intervention of civil rights activist Hassana Nurudeen, Co-founder of Ray of Hope Prison Outreach, for bringing the case to public attention. Following their involvement, Effiong and his legal team swiftly moved to secure Quadri’s release.

On Thursday, Magistrate A.O. Olorunfemi ruled that the legal advice issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, indicated no evidence linking Quadri to any crime. The court accordingly ordered his immediate discharge.

Effiong praised the DPP’s office for upholding justice but called for disciplinary action against the officers involved.

“We demand that the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, and the Inspector General of Police immediately remove the DPO of Amukoko Divisional Headquarters and subject him, along with Inspector Odigbe Samuel and other complicit officers, to orderly room trial,” Effiong stated.

The legal team is also demanding financial compensation of N100 million for the teen’s unlawful detention, alongside a formal public apology from the Nigeria Police Force.

“Quadri’s case is a tragic example of the deep-rooted corruption, impunity, and injustice that plague the police institution in Nigeria,” Effiong added. “There are many like him languishing behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit. This must stop.”

Effiong warned that if their demands are not met promptly, legal proceedings will be initiated against the police authorities.

Quadri’s release has sparked renewed calls for urgent police reform, particularly to address the abuse of minors and the manipulation of justice by unscrupulous law enforcement officers in collaboration with community miscreants.