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Quadri Alabi: The Dubious Conduct of Lagos Police
The recent arrest and detention of 17-year-old Quadri Alabi, a teenager who gained national attention during the 2023 presidential election campaign for standing in front of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has sparked widespread outrage and exposed troubling inconsistencies in the actions of the Lagos State Police Command.
The police’s official statement defending the arrest, coupled with a scathing rebuttal from Alabi’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, on X (formerly known as Twitter), highlights a disturbing pattern of alleged misconduct, disinformation, and disregard for justice.
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This case raises serious questions about the credibility of the Lagos Police and the lack of accountability within Nigeria’s law enforcement.
The Dubious Police Narrative
On Saturday, the Lagos State Police Command, through its spokesperson CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, issued a statement defending the arrest and detention of Alabi.
The police claimed that Alabi, described as an 18-year-old, was arrested on 22 January 2025 for his alleged involvement in a violent street fight in the Amukoko area of Lagos.
According to the statement, the clash between rival youth groups escalated into chaos, resulting in injuries, vandalism of public and private property, and robberies targeting bystanders.
The police alleged that victims and community members identified Alabi as a perpetrator, leading to his arrest and subsequent remand alongside four others at a correctional facility pending legal proceedings.
Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Moshood Jimoh. The Lagos police command dubiously claimed they arrested Alabi after collecting implicating evidence, but the prosecutor said there was no evidence linking the teenager to the armed robbery accusations, leading to his release by a magistrate
The statement emphasised that the arrest followed “laid-down processes” and was based on “credible evidence” gathered during a “thorough and transparent investigation.”
This narrative, presented as a justification for Alabi’s nearly three-month detention at Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre, has been met with scepticism due to several discrepancies.
Notably, the police insisted Alabi was 18, despite evidence to the contrary, and failed to provide specifics about the alleged identification process or the evidence linking him to the crimes. The statement’s vague assertions and lack of remorse, even after Alabi’s discharge by a court, cast doubt on the police’s intentions and professionalism.
Despite the police’s claims of following due process during their investigation, the court’s decision to discharge Alabi due to a lack of evidence betrays their dubious assertions and calls into question the quality of their so-called “laid-down processes.”
Alabi’s Lawyer’s Rebuttal
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who represented Alabi, swiftly dismantled the police’s claims in a detailed statement posted on his X account on Saturday. Effiong described the police’s account as “false,” “provocative,” and “ridiculous,” accusing the Lagos State Police Command of spreading “disinformation and fake news” to cover up a “malicious frame-up” of an innocent minor.
Quadri Alabi and his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, after his release from prison
His rebuttal, grounded in verifiable details, exposed critical flaws in the police’s narrative and highlighted systemic issues within the force.
Effiong clarified that Alabi is 17, born on 29 September 2007, as confirmed by his birth certificate and his mother’s testimony, directly contradicting the police’s claim that he was 18.
He argued that this misclassification was deliberate, as it facilitated Alabi’s detention with adult suspects—a violation of legal protections for minors. Effiong further stated that Alabi was not involved in any street fight, robbery, or property damage. Instead, he alleged that Alabi was abducted by two known “area boys”, identified as Lege and Baba Waris, while returning home from work in January 2025.
He noted that these individuals—who had reportedly harassed Alabi since 2023 over donations he received following his viral moment—handed him over to the Amukoko Police Station, where he was falsely accused.
The lawyer questioned the police’s claim of victim identification, noting that no identification parade was conducted, as required by law—especially for offences allegedly committed at night.
He also criticised the police for detaining Alabi for nearly a week without charge, a clear violation of constitutional rights, before arraigning him alongside four adult strangers on trumped-up armed robbery charges. Effiong revealed that the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had reviewed the case and found no evidence to support the charges, leading to Alabi’s discharge by Magistrate A.O. Olorunfemi on 17 April 2025.
Despite this exoneration, the police doubled down on their narrative, prompting Effiong to condemn their “shamelessness, lawlessness, and utter contempt for justice”.
A Pattern of Malice and Extortion
Effiong’s account suggests that Alabi’s ordeal was not a random miscarriage of justice but possibly a targeted act fuelled by local grudges and police complicity. Since his viral moment in 2023, Alabi’s lawyer said he had faced harassment from community members, including Lege, Baba Waris, and even the local Baale, Hakeem Oseni, who demanded a share of the donations he received from Obi’s supporters.
Effiong alleged that these individuals, frustrated by Alabi’s refusal to comply, orchestrated his abduction and colluded with the police to frame him. Community leaders reportedly pressured Alabi’s family to “settle” the matter by providing a cow and hosting a feast—further illustrating the extortionist dynamics at play. According to another person familiar with the matter, Lege, one of the thugs who harassed Alabi, and policemen in the Amukoko police station told the teenage victim’s mother to apologise to the Baale for not giving him “his cut” from the donations the boy received.
The police’s role in this saga is particularly troubling. Effiong accused officers, including the Amukoko Divisional Police Officer (DPO) CSP Olaniran Ismaila and Investigating Police Officer Inspector Odigbe Samuel, of participating in a “sinister and corrupt scheme.”
Amukoko Divisional Police Officer (DPO) CSP Olaniran Ismaila is implicated in the wrongful monthslong detention of Quadri Alabi
He argued that the police’s failure to investigate the abduction claims and their insistence on pressing charges despite the DPP’s findings point to either gross incompetence or deliberate misconduct.
The fact that Alabi was detained for months on baseless charges, only to be freed after public outcry and legal intervention, underscores the ease with which innocent individuals—especially minors—can be ensnared by a flawed justice system.
Broader Implications
The Alabi case is not an isolated incident but a symptom of deeper systemic issues within the Nigeria Police Force. Effiong’s statement described the police’s actions as a reminder that the institution is “very far from redemption”, citing “putrefying corruption, monstrous impunity, and pervasive injustice”. He has vowed to seek legal redress, demanding ₦100 million in compensation and a public apology for Alabi, as well as disciplinary action against the Commissioner of Police, CP Moshood Jimoh, the Amukoko DPO, and other involved officers. A formal petition to the Police Service Commission is also underway.
Quadri Alabi and his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, after his release from prison
The case has intensified longstanding public distrust in the police. The Lagos police command’s dubious conduct in this wrongful arrest case is a stark example of how power can be abused to silence and oppress the vulnerable. For Effiong, Alabi’s case is a painful illustration of the entrenched corruption, impunity, and injustice within the Nigeria Police Force.
“There are many Quadris languishing in detention centres across Nigeria because of the unbridled criminality, lawlessness, and lack of accountability in the police institution and the weakness of the justice system. History will vindicate the just,” the lawyer said.
The police’s questionable statement—riddled with inconsistencies and devoid of remorse—stands in sharp contrast to Inibehe Effiong’s meticulously documented rebuttal, which exposes a calculated effort to frame an innocent teenager. Alabi’s exoneration by the court and the DPP’s findings should have prompted contrition from the police. Yet their refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing only deepens public scepticism and reveals them as either grossly incompetent or wilfully corrupt.
FURTHER READING
This case demands more than rhetoric—it requires accountability. Instead of releasing apparently deceptive statements, the Lagos State Police Command should answer for its actions, and officers implicated in this miscarriage of justice should face meaningful consequences.
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