An Ikeja High Court on Monday released three men, Peter Edialu, Godspower Friday, and Bayo Segun, after being in custody for about six years without trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the men, first arrested and charged in 2018 and 2019, were facing charges bordering on sexual assault.
Justice Oyindamola Ogala, in separate judgements in the cases, ordered that “the applicants should be released and discharged forthwith if there are no pending matters in other courts.”
Ben Abraham, the counsel to the applicants, said: “The High Court here in Lagos granted the enforcement of the fundamental rights of these three applicants, which we brought before the courts.
“They have been in detention for about six years. The oldest of them had been in Kirikiri Correctional Medium Custodial Centre since 2018 for sexual offences and was awaiting the Department of Public Prosecutions’ advice. But nothing has happened since then.
“When we got to the custodial centre and saw their plight—that they were not even before any courts or having the opportunity to defend themselves—we picked up their cases earlier this year.
“Today, the court upheld our submissions and application and directed that they be immediately and unconditionally released from custody after about six years without trial.”
Abraham added that the cases were just a few of the very sad and unfortunate set of circumstances facing the judicial system.
The applicants had sued the Attorney-General of Lagos State, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, and the correctional services.
The state prosecution, representing the first respondent in the matter, did not object to the motion papers.