Headfort Foundation, a prison reform initiative in Nigeria, has detailed how Sanni Musa, a friend of a security guard in Lekki, Lagos, spent two years in Ikoyi Prison for a crime his friend committed.

The foundation told FIJ that Musa had visited his friends in Lekki during 2020 Salah celebrations when operatives of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) arrested the two of them and handed them over to the police.

Headfort said Musa’s friend had been stealing building materials where he guarded before the arrest.

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“After spending months at the station, they were charged to court and were granted bail. The friend perfected his bail and has since refused to show up in court, thereby making the trial impossible,” Headfort stated.

“The warder referred Sanni to Juliet Akah, our lawyer, who took his case up. He pleaded that our lawyer help him. The first time our lawyer appeared in the matter, she discovered there was an existing bench warrant order on the other defendant but the prosecution did not execute it.”

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Headfort said a court in Ebute-Meta adjourned the sitting at the instance of the prosecution to enable Musa effect the arrest of the second defendant.

“After two adjournments and the prosecution couldn’t execute the bench warrant, our lawyer applied that the case be struck out for want of diligent prosecution, and the court granted the same,” Headfort said.

“Sanni spent two years in custody before regaining freedom.”