In a significant legal victory, the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development, a civil society organization, has successfully secured the release of a police officer, Enejo Gabriel, who had been detained without trial for an astonishing 10 years.
Gabriel, arrested on November 2, 2013, under allegations of killing Azeez Omotosho while responding to a distress call in Lagos, was finally discharged by Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court on November 9, 2023.
The ordeal began with Gabriel’s initial arrest, subsequent incarceration for 237 days, and remand proceedings before Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Despite bail applications denied by the High Court of Lagos, Gabriel was not properly arraigned until the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development (FPIL&D) intervened with an enforcement application for his fundamental rights on December 31, 2021.
Following the FPIL&D’s intervention, the Director of Public Prosecution filed information against Gabriel on August 22, 2022. He was arraigned before Justice Harrison on June 8, 2023. Despite the extended legal battle, the court ordered an accelerated hearing, providing four adjournments for the prosecution to prove its case.
However, as the prosecution failed to present witnesses for the trial, the FPIL&D founder, Yusuf Nurudeen, argued for Gabriel’s discharge, emphasizing the lack of diligent prosecution. The court, in a well-considered ruling, agreed with the foundation and discharged Gabriel.
Nurudeen highlighted that earlier this year, FPIL&D secured the release of another individual, Muideen Bilau, after nine years of remand at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre. The foundation, also known as The Pro Bono Centre, founded in 2019, aims to provide legal assistance to the indigent and vulnerable by connecting them with volunteer lawyers willing to render pro-bono legal services.