A LAGOS teenager who was remanded in custody in 2022 after he was allegedly arrested over slippers similar to those worn by a complainant has breathed air of freedom at last after nearly four years in detention.
The teenager, whose identity was not disclosed in several reports, was among two whose cases were taken up by the non-governmental organisation, Citizens Gavel, after its legal team discovered them during a visit to the Medium Security Correctional Centre in January 2024.
The organisation, in a post seen on Tuesday, September 29, said the teenager was arrested because he wore slippers similar to those of the complainant, but was never taken to court, despite spending years in custody.
Citizens Gavel explained that the discovery prompted its intervention to track the case, adding: “Their ordeal came to our attention in January 2024 during a visit to the Medium Security Correctional Centre, where our legal team in Lagos interviewed them and discovered that, despite having been arrested since 2022, they had never been taken to court.
“Immediately, our legal team took up their cases and began tracking the matter at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), eventually tracing the case to the court of Justice Coker.”
It recalled that it made its first appearance in the matter in March 2024 and subsequently appeared before the Judge over seven times for trial and that despite several adjournments, the prosecution failed to produce a single witness.
According to it: “From then on, we continued appearing before Justice Coker on more than seven occasions for trial and filed several applications, urging the court to strike out the case.
“Despite all the adjournments, the prosecution failing to produce a single witness.”
The organisation said it was informed in early 2025 that Justice Coker was on official assignment and that the case would be transferred to another court; hence it again began the process of tracking the case and eventually discovered that it had been transferred to the court of Justice Oshodi.
Citizens Gavel explained that it first appeared before Justice Oshodi in March last year, when the charges were read to the two defendants, to which they pleaded not guilty, adding: “At the close of the prosecution’s case, we filed a ‘No Case Submission,’ arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring the defendants to answer.”
The matter was subsequently adjourned for ruling.
The organisation said the court subsequently upheld its submission, discharged and acquitted both defendants.
It described the outcome as significant, saying: “What makes this victory even more profound is that throughout this nearly four-year ordeal, not a single member of either defendant’s family appeared in court. No other lawyer also represented them.
“They endured years in custody largely unseen and unheard.
“Today, they walk free.”
