Sani, 34, who was accused of stealing a mobile phone valued at N18,000, was said to have been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court sometime in 2006 when the incident happened before the case was referred to the high court.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the Ore, Ondo State indigene, was freed after the intervention of some officials of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender.
An official of the OPD, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no witness showed up for the case during the period, adding that the matter got to the high court in 2013.
He said, “He was arrested in 2006. However, the matter was filed at the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, on March 27, 2013. That means he spent seven years in custody before his case got to the high court.
“In the three years that the matter was in court, there was no witness. Three suspects were actually arraigned, but the others secured their bail in 2006 when the incident happened. He also didn’t have any legal representative.
“We were just checking on the cases in court when we came across his matter and we decided to stand for him. Even the court was surprised that he had spent 10 years. We asked the court that the matter be struck out for lack of diligent prosecution and the Chief Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, struck out the matter.”
The official said Sani could not believe he had been set free until he was reassured by court officials to go home.
It was learnt that Sani had only been married for one year and his wife was pregnant as of the time of the incident.
Court documents obtained by PUNCH Metro revealed that Sani and two others, Ezekiel Oriyomi and Bashiru Olaide, were arraigned for robbery.
The police, in the three counts, said Sani, and others, on July 7, 2006 dispossessed one Chike of his mobile phone valued at N18,000 at Oluti bus stop, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Lagos.
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