Lagos Gardener Spends 18 Months in Prison Despite Legal Advice Affirming his Innocence

Femi Ashekun/

Headfort Foundation, a prison reform initiative, has detailed how a gardener at a Lagos school spent one year and six months in prison without committing any offence.

The foundation in a series of tweets yesterday via its official handle @HeadfortF, said the victim, identified simply as Otoobong, suffered unjustifiable despite a 2021 legal advice by Lagos State Ministry of Justice which affirmed his innocence and directed that he should be released.

The tweets read, “Sometime in 2020, Otoobong’s friend called him to inform him of a car he wanted to sell. Otoobong told his friend he would check for a buyer and when he did, he referred his friend to the buyer. Unknown to Otoobong, his friend with some group of people stole the car and wanted to sell it.

“On the 24th of December, 2020, some policemen tracked the car and found Otoobong’s friend with his group. They arrested them and during the investigation, they arrested Otoobong.

“After about 5 months in the cell, Otoobong was given the opportunity to make calls. He called his family and the school authority, they got to the station but did not come back because the bail sum was N2,000,000.00.

“On the 6th of August, 2021, Otoobong and the rest were arraigned before the Magistrate Court at Ogba for the Offence of Armed Robbery and remanded in the Correctional Centre.

“Sometime in May, 2022 while still awaiting legal advice, they took only Otoobong to the Magistrate Court while others went to the High Court.

“Otoobong brought it to the court’s knowledge and the court promised they would resolve the issue.

“On the 17th of August, 2022, while our team at Ogba Magistrate Court were on court cell visitation, they met Otoobong and took his brief.

“They carried out a search and found out the Legal Advice had been issued since 2021 and it stated that Otoobong should be released as he was INNOCENT.

“On the 8th of September 2022, our lawyer- Onuagu Thecla represented him in court. The Court affirmed that the Advice was issued in 2021 but was not brought before the court. The court read out the legal advice which says that the other defendants should be prosecuted at the High Court, while Otoobong be released and discharged. The Court released him immediately .

“He spent 1 year and 6 months in custody.”

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