By Chibuike Nkwede
A Lagos teenager who spent nearly four years in custody after allegedly being arrested over a pair of slippers similar to those worn by a complainant has regained his freedom.
The teenager, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested in 2022 and remained in custody without being taken to court for a prolonged period.
His case, alongside that of another defendant, was eventually taken up by Citizens Gavel, a non-governmental organisation providing legal support to people facing challenges within the justice system.
The organisation said its legal team discovered the two defendants during a visit to the Medium Security Correctional Centre in Lagos in January 2024.
According to Citizens Gavel, the teenager’s case attracted attention because he had allegedly been kept in custody since 2022 over allegations linked to slippers similar to those worn by the complainant.
The organisation subsequently began efforts to trace the case and determine why the defendants had spent such a long period in custody without facing trial.
Its legal team eventually traced the matter to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and later identified the court handling the case.
Citizens Gavel said it made its first appearance in the matter in March 2024 and subsequently appeared before Justice Coker on several occasions as the case progressed.
The organisation said that despite repeated adjournments, the prosecution failed to produce any witness to testify against the defendants.
It said it also filed several applications urging the court to strike out the case, arguing that the prolonged proceedings and failure by the prosecution to present witnesses had left the defendants in custody without a meaningful trial.
The legal process, however, encountered another setback when the organisation was informed in early 2025 that Justice Coker had been assigned to official duties and that the matter would be transferred to another court.
Citizens Gavel said it resumed efforts to track the case and eventually discovered that it had been transferred to the court of Justice Oshodi.
The organisation appeared before Justice Oshodi for the first time in March 2025, when the charges were read to the two defendants. Both men pleaded not guilty.
After the prosecution concluded its case, Citizens Gavel filed a No Case Submission, asking the court to discharge the defendants on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence requiring them to defend themselves.
The matter was subsequently adjourned for ruling.
In its ruling, the court upheld the No Case Submission and discharged and acquitted both defendants.
Citizens Gavel described the development as a significant victory, particularly because of the length of time the two men had spent in custody.
The organisation said neither defendant had received representation from a family member in court throughout the nearly four-year ordeal, while no other lawyer had represented them before its intervention.
It said the defendants had consequently spent years in custody with little attention from those outside the correctional system.
Following the court’s decision, both defendants were released and allowed to regain their freedom after years of waiting for a trial that ultimately failed to establish a case against them.