Peter Obi Grass Mobilization In a significant development, has brought forward Quadri Alabi’s case to tomorrow, April 17th instead of the initial 28th April.
Quadri Alabi is now scheduled to be produced before the Apapa Magistrate Court tomorrow, Thursday, 17th April 2025, by 9:00 AM. This change comes following a successful joint application made by both the legal representatives of Mr. Alabi and the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to vary the original court date.
Mr. Alabi’s case was initially slated to come up for hearing on Monday, 28th April 2025. However, both parties submitted requests to the court seeking an earlier hearing. “We wrote to the Court to vary the date and to fix the case for tomorrow, Thursday 17th April,” a representative from Mr. Alabi’s legal team confirmed. “The DPP equally made the same application.”
The court has officially granted the request, bringing the date forward as prayed. “I am delighted to confirm that the variation application has been granted and the hearing date has been varied and brought forward,” the representative added.
Mr. Alabi will be produced by the Nigerian Correctional Service authorities for the hearing. He will appear before Court No. 9 at the Sikiru Adagun Courthouse, located in Orege, Ajegunle a division of the Apapa Magistrate Court.
The reasons for the expedited hearing have not been publicly disclosed but will be provided in court during proceedings.
Supporters, family members, and legal representatives are expected to accompany Mr. Alabi in court. His legal team reaffirmed their confidence in the judicial process, stating: “History will vindicate the just.”
According to prominent Human Rights lawyer, Barrister Inibehe Effiong, Alabi, who is under 18 years of age, has already appeared in court three times and remains remanded at the Minimum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos.
In a statement issued after attending the court proceedings at the Apapa Magisterial District on April 9, 2025, Effiong expressed dismay over the circumstances that led to Alabi’s arrest.
“He was abducted by ‘area boys’ close to his home while returning from work,” Effiong revealed. “The same area boys who had been threatening him for not sharing the money he was allegedly gifted dragged him to the Amukoko Police Station, where he was detained.”
Following his unexpected moment of fame during the electioneering campaign, Alabi reportedly faced persistent harassment from local thugs who demanded a share of the alleged financial gifts he received. According to Alabi and his mother, these threats soon escalated into physical assaults and, eventually, his arrest.
“The area boys initially claimed that Alabi was involved in street fights,” Effiong continued. “Shockingly, the police later charged him, along with four strangers, with conspiracy and armed robbery using cutlasses.”
The police charge sheet alleges that the accused robbed two victims of money and four mobile phones, all valued at N579,000.
“After spending several hours at the court, I visited Alabi at the custodial centre, accompanied by a colleague, Alabi’s mother, relatives, and a social activist who brought the case to public attention,” Effiong noted.
Effiong stressed that Alabi is a minor and described him as “another victim of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.”
“The court remanded him along with four adult strangers, pending legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),” Effiong said. “We are committed to exhausting all legal avenues to secure his release.”
The case has stirred public interest and raised questions about the vulnerability of Nigerian youth and the abuse of law enforcement procedures. Effiong assured the public that further updates would be provided as new developments emerge.