LAGOS TEENAGER FREED AFTER NEARLY FOUR YEARS IN CUSTODY OVER SLIPPERS RESEMBLANCE

A Lagos teenager who spent nearly four years in custody after he was allegedly arrested over slippers similar to those worn by a complainant has regained his freedom.

The teenager, whose identity was withheld, was among two defendants 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.

According to Citizens Gavel, the teenager had been arrested in 2022 because he was wearing slippers similar to those of the complainant but was never brought before a court despite spending months in custody.

The organisation said the discovery prompted its legal team to intervene and begin tracking the case.

“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,” Citizens Gavel said in a statement posted on Tuesday.

The organisation said its lawyers subsequently took up the matter and traced the case to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions before locating it at the court of Justice Coker.

Citizens Gavel said it made its first appearance in the case in March 2024 and appeared before Justice Coker more than seven times as proceedings continued.

According to the organisation, despite repeated adjournments, the prosecution failed to call a single witness.

It said its legal team filed several applications urging the court to strike out the case on the grounds of the prolonged delay and the prosecution’s failure to produce witnesses.

Citizens Gavel said it was later informed in early 2025 that Justice Coker had been assigned to official duties and that the case would be transferred to another court.

The organisation said it resumed tracking the matter and eventually discovered that the case had been transferred to the court of Justice Oshodi.

According to Citizens Gavel, it first appeared before Justice Oshodi in March 2025, when the charges were read to the two defendants, who pleaded not guilty.

At the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, the legal team filed a No Case Submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence requiring the defendants to enter a defence.

The matter was subsequently adjourned for ruling.

Citizens Gavel said Justice Oshodi upheld the No Case Submission and discharged and acquitted both defendants, bringing their prolonged ordeal in custody to an end.

The organisation described the ruling as a significant victory, particularly because the defendants had spent years in custody without family members or other lawyers appearing in court on their behalf.

“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,” the organisation said.

The case has drawn attention to concerns surrounding prolonged pre-trial detention and the importance of timely access to justice for people held in custody.