The Lagos State Government has denied allegations circulating in a viral social media video that it unlawfully arrested and detained a 14-year-old boy identified as Michael Adekunle without trial at the Kirikiri custodial centre.
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In a statement issued by the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the government described the claims in the video as “deliberate misinformation” aimed at misleading the public and generating sympathy for the defendant.
The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, said the individual at the centre of the controversy is actually Michael Adebiyi, who, according to official records, was 18 years old at the time of his arrest in 2022.
According to the statement, Adebiyi, alongside one Adedeji Kabiru and Adekunle Waris, was arrested by the police over allegations of armed robbery.
The government explained that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions received the duplicate case file on January 6, 2023 for legal advice and subsequently issued its recommendation on January 25, 2023.
The legal advice, according to the statement, established a prima facie case against Adebiyi and Kabiru for alleged conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery contrary to Sections 299 and 297(2)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
However, the state said it directed the discharge and release of the third suspect, Adekunle Waris, after investigators found no evidence linking him to the alleged offences.
The Attorney General’s office further disclosed that criminal information was filed before the Lagos High Court on May 31, 2023 and was initially assigned to Justice A.J. Coker before being reassigned to Justice H.O. Oshodi following Justice Coker’s deployment on national assignment.
According to the government, the prosecution has already closed its case in the ongoing trial before Justice Oshodi.
It added that the defence, through counsel to the defendant, recently filed a no-case submission challenging the prosecution’s evidence, adding that the application was served on the prosecution on April 23, 2026.
The matter has now been adjourned until July 1, 2026 for hearing of the no-case submission.
Responding specifically to the claim that the defendant was a minor, the government maintained that the defendant’s extrajudicial statement and official records identified him as Michael Adebiyi, aged 18 years at the time of arrest, and not “Michael Adekunle,” aged 14, as alleged in the viral video.
The state also noted that throughout proceedings before both trial judges, neither the defendant nor his legal representatives raised any objection regarding his identity or age.
According to the statement, had such an issue been raised earlier, the court could have conducted an inquiry into the defendant’s age pursuant to Section 206 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The government therefore urged members of the public to disregard the contents of the viral video, insisting that the allegations were unsupported by the records before the court or the prosecution.
“The video appears to have been deliberately circulated with the intention of whipping up public sentiment and generating undue sympathy on social media in favour of the defendant’s release,” the statement added.
The controversy has continued to generate reactions online amid growing public scrutiny over detention conditions and the treatment of suspects within the criminal justice system.
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