KEY POINTS

• The Lagos Commissioner of Police stated that they were unaware of the DPP’s legal advice to release Quadri Alabi.

• Alabi was freed after the DPP recommended no evidence of armed robbery, though police insist the trial has not started.

• The controversy grows as legal teams clash over the authenticity of Alabi’s age and accusations of police misconduct.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, has stated that the police were unaware of the Department of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) legal advice that led to the release of Quadri Alabi, the teenager who gained national attention during the 2023 election campaigns for standing in front of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy.

Alabi was freed by an Apapa Magistrates’ Court on April 17 after the DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins, found insufficient evidence to prosecute him on armed robbery charges.

According to SaharaReporters, the DPP’s advice also recommended the discharge of another defendant, Muiz Animashaun, who was jointly charged with Alabi.

However, CP Moshood, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, insisted that the police had not been formally notified of the DPP’s decision. “Police action terminates when a matter is taken to court. The lawyer yesterday mentioned the DPP. For us, we have not seen the DPP advice,” he said. “We don’t know whether he was directed to be granted bail, whether he was acquitted, or whether he was discharged. We’re going to verify all those things equally to know what is in the DPP advice today.”

Alabi: Age dispute and legal controversy surround teenager’s case

Moshood further clarified that Alabi’s trial had not yet commenced, contrary to reports of his release. “The trial has not been opened into the matter. The remand process was what we went to the court for, and the court saw reason with us,” he explained. “From the statement of the boy that he’s 18 years old, he was remanded in a custodial facility, and the matter was supposed to come up for trial.”

The police commissioner also challenged claims by Alabi’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, that his client was a minor. Moshood maintained that Alabi had declared himself as 18 during police interrogation at the Amukoko Division, a statement recorded in official documents. “In the statement form, it was the boy himself that said he is 18 and it was recorded. I have been to Amukoko Police Station and I still went there yesterday to check the entry they have,” he stated.

Moshood cast doubt on the authenticity of the birth certificate presented by Effiong, suggesting it required further scrutiny. “The birth certificate that the lawyer is parading should be investigated because birth certificates are not issued over the phone,” he said. “Nowadays, because of AI and other technology, anything can be doctored.”

Effiong, however, has accused the police of misconduct, describing Alabi’s detention as a “corrupt scheme of framing-up a teenager for armed robbery at the behest of rogue ‘Area Boys’.” He called for disciplinary action against the Amukoko Divisional Police Officer.

As the case continues to unfold, legal experts and civil society groups have raised concerns over potential procedural lapses and the need for transparency in the justice system. The controversy highlights broader issues surrounding juvenile detention, police accountability, and the integrity of legal documentation in Nigeria.