Lagos, Nigeria — November 4, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered the immediate release of Mr. Sewedo Folorunsho, who had been detained in Kirikiri Prison for approximately eight years without being brought to trial, the court disclosed Monday.
In a judgment delivered on October 22, 2025, Justice Adenike Shonubi declared that Sewedo’s detention was unlawful and violated his constitutionally guaranteed rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and fair hearing.
Sewedo was initially arrested by the police in 2012 in connection with a murder allegation, and remained in a police cell before being formally arraigned in 2017 at Ebute Metta Magistrate Court on a holding charge. According to court documents, no information was ever filed in the High Court to commence his trial, which led to his continued incarceration at Kirikiri from 2017 until the court’s judgment.
The Court ordered his unconditional release and awarded N500,000 in damages against the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State. The order has been transmitted to the Nigerian Correctional Service for immediate compliance.
Sewedo’s counsel, Monday Ubani, SAN, praised the judgment as a victory for the rule of law and human rights, noting it serves as a reminder that indefinite detention without trial remains a critical issue in Nigeria’s justice system.
The case underscores persistent shortcomings in pre-trial detention, prosecutorial delay and judicial backlog in Nigeria. Rights observers say that prolonged custody without trial undermines constitutional safeguards and risks contributing to prison overcrowding and injustice.