A LAGOS State High Court has released a police sergeant, Emmanuel Uyanweke, after 11 years of incarceration.
Uyanweke, who was once attached to the Ojo police division in Lagos, was freed on October 24, 2024.
He was released after the Foundation for Public Interest Law and Development (FPIL&D) intervened and took his case to court.
The presiding judge, Ibironke Harrison, threw out the case against the accused for lack of diligent prosecution.
According to a post on its official X handle, the FPIL&D said Uyanweke’s lawyer, Yusuf Nurudeen, who doubles as the executive director of the organisation, described the accused extended detention as illegal.
On August 18, 2013, Uyanweke was arrested for allegedly causing the death of one Adams Bello in Okomaiko, Lagos, which marked the beginning of his predicament.
The officer was first detained without charge before being formally remanded by an Ebute Meta Magistrate Court in March 2015.
Three years later, in February 2018, he was brought before a judge, Akintoye, on a single count of involuntary manslaughter.
However, none of the ten witnesses named in the case was produced in court by the prosecution throughout Uyanweke’s ordeal..
The lawyer argued in court that Uyanweke’s prolonged detention was illegal, citing Sections 35(4) and 36(4) of the Constitution and Section 232 of the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (amended 2021).
He asked the court to free the accused and drop the charges because the prosecution was not diligent.
The prosecution lawyer, I.A. Erikitola, admitted that the prosecution’s witnesses were not available and left it up to the court’s decision.
The judge subsequently dismissed the manslaughter allegation and ordered Uyanweke’s freedom after agreeing with the defence’s claims.
Responding to the ruling, Nurudeen said, “Uyanweke’s case underscores the need for diligent prosecution and critical reforms to prevent prolonged detentions without trial.”
He added that his organisation would keep advancing human rights and judicial reforms while providing free legal assistance to underprivileged people by providing volunteer lawyers for them.
A reporter with the ICIR
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