Farouq Abdulquadri, who was arrested during the EndSars protest and charged with the offence of Riot, has been discharged of the offence by the Magistrate Court of Lagos State.
The Defendant, who had been in custody since 2020, was discharged by the Honourable Court on the 21st of December, 2022.
The prosecution, despite the incarceration of Defendant for the last two years, failed to diligently prosecute the charge. The Prosecution failed to present any witness/evidence before the Court.
The Team from DNL Partners, who represented the Defendant pro bono, argued that the Defendant had been in custody since 2020, and the prosecution failed to produce him before the Honourable Court for his arraignment. The team argued that it appeared that the Prosecution was not interested in prosecuting the charge. The team argued further that the Defendant should not be made to suffer unjustly.
The team urged the Honourable Court to strike out the charge for lack of diligent prosecution and subsequently discharge the Defendant.
The Honourable Court, in its decision, held that the Prosecution had failed to diligently prosecute the charge. The Court therefore struck out the charge. The Defendant was consequently discharged.