Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has revealed that over ₦10 million has been raised in just four days to support Quadri Alabi, the teenager who went viral in 2023 for boldly stepping in front of Peter Obi’s campaign convoy.

Effiong disclosed this during a Monday, April 21 interview on Channels TV, where he appeared alongside Alabi. He also accused the police of falsifying Alabi’s age as 18 in court documents to facilitate his prosecution, even though the boy is actually 17.

Alabi was recently freed after being wrongfully arrested and charged in connection with a violent street fight in the Amukoko area of Lagos. Magistrate Adetola Olorunfemi ordered his release following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins.

Effiong said the ordeal was part of a “sinister and corrupt scheme” allegedly carried out by rogue police officers and local area boys, aimed at extorting Alabi and his family. He explained that after Alabi’s viral moment with Peter Obi, he gained modest fame and attracted public donations, attention that later made him a target.

“Area boys started extorting him, claiming he hadn’t ‘settled’ them,” Effiong said. “They even pressured his mother to throw a party—buy a cow, cook rice—for the community. When she refused, the threats escalated.”

He recounted that on a second attempt to frame Alabi, area boys known as Leggy and Baba Waris picked him on his way home from work and handed him over to the police, falsely accusing him of being involved in a fight. According to Effiong, the police, led by CSP Ismaila Ulaniro of Amukoko Division, detained Alabi for a week, allegedly without proper charges, before taking him to court on January 27.

“He was charged alongside four adults he didn’t know and accused of armed robbery,” Effiong said. “No identification parade was conducted. There was zero evidence linking him to the crime.”

Effiong further accused the police of manipulating Alabi’s age to ensure he could be treated as an adult. “They claimed he was 18. If they had said 17, the court might not have remanded him to a regular prison,” he said. “The magistrate even noted this discrepancy but said she had to go by the information presented.”

Alabi, speaking during the interview, recalled the traumatic experience: “I was at the entrance of my house when the police came. Area boys pointed me out. They had already taken my phone and the money I had on me. I was the youngest person in the cell.”

Effiong said the crowdfunding campaign that followed has been overwhelmingly successful. “We’ve raised over ₦10 million in four days,” he confirmed. “The goal is to relocate Quadri from Amukoko and to provide a stable source of income for his mother, who is a petty trader. This is a testament to the compassion and solidarity of everyday Nigerians.”