A23-year-old baker in Lagos, simply identified as Olamilekan, has regained his freedom after spending over a year in prison without trial on allegations of belonging to an armed robbery gang.
Olamilekan’s freedom was secured and announced by Headfort Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit organisation closing the justice gap in Nigeria through legal aid.
According to the organisation, Olamilekan, who worked late hours due to the demands of his job, was accosted by members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) at the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos at around 10pm in July 2024.
He was accused of being part of a gang of robbers terrorising the community.
“Despite his plea of innocence, he was beaten, wounded with a machete, and handed over to the police,” Headfort Foundation said on Friday in a statement.
The organisation said Olamilekan was detained for three days without being charged to court, “a direct violation of his fundamental human right to personal liberty as guaranteed under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
On July 10, 2024, he was eventually arraigned before the Ogba Magistrate Court on charges of conspiracy and stealing.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties.
However, unable to meet the bail conditions or secure legal representation, Olamilekan was remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre.
“For more than a year, Olamilekan languished in prison until August 28, 2025, when his case was referred to us at Headfort Foundation for Justice,” the organisation stated.
“Our lawyer, stationed in our justice hub at Ogba, @zoe_theblessing immediately provided him with legal aid.
“With no witnesses ever presented by the prosecution since arraignment, we applied for the matter to be struck out for want of diligent prosecution.”
On September 16, 2025, the court granted the application, struck out the matter, and ordered Olamilekan’s immediate release.
Headfort Foundation described the case as a troubling example of how poverty and lack of access to legal aid continue to leave vulnerable Nigerians trapped behind bars for offences they did not commit.
“Olamilekan’s story is a painful reminder that poverty and lack of access to justice leave too many people trapped in detention for years without trial,” the statement added.
“At Headfort Foundation for Justice, we stand in the gap for the poor and vulnerable, ensuring that freedom and dignity are restored where injustice prevails,” the organisation stressed.
After 14 months of wrongful detention, Olamilekan finally walked free, a sobering reflection of systemic lapses in Nigeria’s justice system.
