Lagos teenager freed after nearly four years in custody

A Lagos teenager who spent nearly four years in custody after being remanded in 2022 has been freed after a court discharged and acquitted him, according to the legal organisation Citizens Gavel. The teenager, whose identity was withheld, was among two defendants whose cases were taken up by Citizens Gavel after its legal team met them during a visit to the Medium Security Correctional Centre in January 2024. The organisation said the teenager had allegedly been arrested because he wore slippers similar to those worn by a complainant.

It said neither he nor the other defendant had been taken to court despite their prolonged detention. Citizens Gavel said its lawyers traced the case to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and began appearing before Justice Coker in March 2024. The team reportedly attended more than seven proceedings and filed applications urging the court to strike out the case, while the prosecution failed to produce a witness.

The organisation later learned that Justice Coker was on official assignment and that the matter had been transferred to the court of Justice Oshodi. The charges were read to the defendants in March 2025, and both pleaded not guilty. At the close of the prosecution’s case, the legal team filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence did not establish a case requiring the defendants to respond.

The court later upheld the submission and discharged and acquitted both men. Citizens Gavel described the ruling as significant, saying neither defendant had received court representation from family members or another lawyer during the ordeal. The organisation said the two men had spent years in custody largely unseen before being released.