A Lagos magistrate court has discharged the teenage boy, Alabi Quadri, who made headlines in 2023 after standing in front of former presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy. The ruling ends a months-long legal battle that had drawn public attention and debate.

On Thursday, April 17, the Apapa Magistrate Court discharged 19-year-old Quadri, this ruling comes after Quadri had spent several months in Kirikiri Prison. 

Magistrate Adetola Olorunfemi ruled on April 17 that prosecutors lacked evidence to support the serious allegations of armed robbery and conspiracy. The decision followed a review by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which found the case lacked merit. This ends an eight-month legal ordeal for the now 19-year-old, whose initial detention at Kirikiri Prison sparked national debate about police conduct.

According to the DPP, the evidedence against Quadri is nonexistent. 

The 19-year-old's 2023 act of standing firm before Peter Obi's motorcade - captured in a viral video - transformed him into an unlikely symbol of Nigerian youth resilience during the heated election season. His eight-month detention on questionable charges only amplified his symbolic status.