The Ebute Meta Magistrate Court has freed Chigozie Dike, 31, who has been in prison custody for four years, awaiting trial.
The magistrate, Mr. T. Abolarinwa, acted on the advice from the office of the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution. He said there was no evidence to establish a case of robbery against the defendant.
The ruling was, however, preceded by a mild drama.
When Dike, an Imo State indigene, entered the court, he clutched a Bible tightly to his chest and knelt on the floor of the court.
After his matter was called, the magistrate told him, “Thank your God because nobody tried your case. Your case was tried in the spiritual realm and God said, we should free you. You have been freed since April when the DPP’s advice came out, but your case file suddenly went missing.”
According to Abolarinwa, he raised a warrant for him to be taken from custody so he could be released, but when his case was called that morning, the police said he was not released from prison. “The police could not explain why you were not brought to court this morning, so I decided to stand down your matter and ordered that you must be produced today," he said.
“So, keep serving your God because he was the one who saved you.”
According to the accused, he was arrested on January 1, 2009 shortly after he came to Lagos from his village to look for job and after he could not secure a job, he started operating a commercial motorcycle popularly called okada.
He said he was charged for the theft of another motorcycle.
“I was almost lynched and I told them I did not steal any motorcycle, but they kept hitting me.
“It was the police that arrested me and since that time, I have been in prison praying and fasting because I did not know anything about the robbery.
“Unfortunately for me, I did not have anyone or any lawyer to fight for me until the Foursquare Gospel Church prison outreach secured a lawyer for me, who helped me with the matter," he said.
The lawyer, Fola Ogunyinka, said Dike’s case dragged because his file was not processed on time for the DPP’s advice.
