Boy Who Stood In Front Of Obi’s Convoy Freed After Three Months In Detention

By Bukola Kayode

Quadri Alabi, the 17-year-old who gained fame for standing in front of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has been freed after being held for nearly three months at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos.

Alabi was discharged on Thursday by a Magistrate Court in Apapa following legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, which found no evidence to support the armed robbery charge brought against him.

Human rights activist and lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, announced Alabi’s release on Thursday on his Facebook page.

He wrote: “We are excited to announce that Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the 17-year old teenager who gained fame during the 2023 elections after he spontaneously jumped and stood in front of the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has been freed by the court today, 17th April, 2025.

“Our client, Quadri was abducted by two ‘Area Boys’ who are notoriously known in the community as Lege and Baba Waris close to his family residence at Amukoko, Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area and dumped at the Amukoko Divisional Police Headquarters (Pako Police Station) in Lagos State.

“Quadri was returning from work when he was grabbed by the duo, who along with other jealous and entitled Area Boys in the community, have been harassing him and threatening to deal with him since 2023 for not giving them ‘their share’ of donations gifted him during the last elections period”.

He added: Quadri’s family informed us that the Baale of the community equally pressured them to buy a cow and rice and cook for the community to appease the Area Boys.

“The abductors initially told the officers at Amukoko Police Station that our client was involved in street fighting.

“To the consternation of Quadri and his family, the police on 26th January, 2025 took Quadri before a Magistrate in Apapa, and obtained an order remanding him at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri on a trumped-up charge of armed robbery.

“The police fraudulently joined Quadri with four strange adults who had no form of connection or relationship whatsoever with him and claimed that the four strange men were his case mates”, the post read.