By Mercy Akosuun
What began as an act of kindness nearly cost a Lagos motorcycle rider his freedom.
In December 2023, Victor (surname withheld), a commercial motorcyclist working around Pen-Cinema Road, offered to help a stranded young girl who said she had no transport fare. He dropped her safely at her destination, unaware that the gesture would later land him behind bars.
The following day, Victor encountered the same girl, but this time he was surrounded by police officers who accused him of abducting her. Despite witnesses—including fellow motorcycle riders—attesting to his innocence, he was arrested and charged in court.
With no money to hire a lawyer, Victor faced the justice system alone. He was remanded in custody, and his case dragged on without progress. It was not until February 2025, more than a year later, that his plight came to the attention of the Headfort Foundation for Justice, a non-profit offering free legal aid.
A lawyer from the foundation’s justice hub at Ogba Magistrate Court took up his case, but the wheels of justice moved painfully slowly. Court proceedings were marred by repeated adjournments and the prosecution’s consistent failure to produce witnesses. Meanwhile, Victor remained under the weight of a pending criminal charge, his right to liberty and fair trial repeatedly ignored.
On July 10, 2025, after months of diligent representation by the foundation’s lawyers, the case was finally struck out for want of prosecution. By then, Victor had spent more than 18 months in legal limbo, deprived of both his livelihood and freedom over an allegation that had no substantiating evidence.
The Headfort Foundation condemned the ordeal as another example of the systemic failures in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, where poor defendants often languish in detention due to lack of legal representation and prosecutorial inefficiency.
“No one should suffer prolonged detention or have their rights disregarded because they cannot afford a lawyer,” the foundation said. “Victor’s case is a reminder of why access to justice must not depend on wealth or social status.”
