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Nigerian Man Regains Freedom After Over 8 Years in Prison Without Trial
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After enduring more than eight years in detention without facing trial, a Nigerian man, John Gift Tobia, has finally been released from prison.
Tobia was arrested on March 6, 2017, and remanded in custody while awaiting trial—a trial that never came. For 8 years, 4 months, and 10 days, he remained behind bars without ever being formally tried or convicted of any crime.
His prolonged detention without due process highlights a deeply troubling flaw in Nigeria’s judicial and correctional systems.
In a rare moment of justice, a High Court in Rivers State unconditionally ordered his release in June 2025, bringing an end to what many have described as an unjust and traumatic chapter in his life.
Following his release, Tobia was visibly emotional and grateful. He expressed deep appreciation for the lawyer who took up his case and fought tirelessly for his freedom. He also spoke about his future plans, emphasizing the importance of rebuilding his life after nearly a decade lost behind bars.
Public Outrage and Online Reactions
Tobia’s ordeal has sparked widespread criticism of the Nigerian justice system, especially regarding the high number of individuals languishing in prison without trial. Social media users reacted with a mix of anger, frustration, and despair:
@Junnynba1 wrote: “There are still thousands of people in there, just wasting away. Many of them are still awaiting trial and some are completely innocent. Nigeria’s system is deeply broken. Do whatever it takes to stay out of trouble, because once you’re in, it can mess up your life for good.”
@eSoul_licker added: “If Nigeria never happen to someone you know, you’d think this video was scripted content.”
@TheRealGulu commented: “For a crime whose penalty might have been just two years or a fine. 🤦🏾♂️”
@the_onbeatable noted: “Nothing hurts more than knowing that the second in command during the Buhari administration—himself a constitutional lawyer—couldn’t bring about meaningful prison reforms. It proves just how powerless or indifferent the office of the Vice President can be in Nigeria’s political setup. It’s painful.”
A Symptom of a Broken System
Tobia’s story is not an isolated case. Legal experts and human rights advocates have long warned about the dangers of Nigeria’s overburdened and underfunded judicial system. Thousands of individuals remain incarcerated without trial, some for minor infractions, others without clear charges. The country’s prisons are overcrowded, and case backlogs in courts often delay justice indefinitely.
Activists are now calling for urgent reforms, including the enforcement of time limits on pre-trial detentions, improved legal aid access for indigent defendants, and greater accountability within law enforcement and the judiciary.
Tobia’s freedom is a bittersweet reminder that justice delayed is often justice denied—and that for many others, freedom may still be a long way off.
Two women have been arrested in Jalingo, Taraba State, after they were caught attempting to take three young girls out of the state to Adamawa.
According to reports, the suspects, both single and reportedly from the South-East, were arrested at a filling station while travelling in a commercial vehicle with the girls, aged between five and six.
The incident reportedly began when the women, who had rented a room in the same compound where the girls lived about two weeks earlier,
reportedly deceived their mothers into allowing the children to accompany them to the market.
Instead, the women allegedly took the girls to a motor park in Jalingo, where they hired a vehicle to transport them to Adamawa State.
The vehicle driver reportedly became suspicious after noticing that the girls did not resemble the women. He alerted members of his union, who contacted the police, leading to the suspects’ arrest.
At the police station, the women reportedly admitted taking the girls from their compound after deceiving their mothers. The girls, identified as Ummul Shuaibu, Ummul Baba Gasal and Amina Abubakar, were later reunited with their families at the Taraba State Police Command headquarters.
Their fathers were initially invited to identify them, while their mothers were subsequently asked to confirm their identities before their release.
Abubakar Kwalli, father of one of the girls, said the children became emotional when they saw their mothers, with each girl rushing to her mother in tears.
The Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Mshelizah, confirmed the arrest and said investigation into the incident was ongoing, adding that further details would be released after the investigation.
The Oyo State Police Command has smashed a suspected truck-hijacking syndicate after an intelligence-led operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects and the recovery of a stolen SINO HOWO truck.
The Command said the suspects specialised in hijacking and diverting trucks from drivers in Oyo and neighbouring states before allegedly moving the stolen vehicles to criminal receivers in Kwara State.
The breakthrough followed a tip-off that the syndicate planned to strike on August 24, 2026. Acting on the information, Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, deployed operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to conduct targeted stop-and-search operations along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The operation paid off when officers intercepted a white SINO HOWO truck and arrested two suspects—Ojedokun Olakunle Isaac, the truck driver’s motor boy, and Ajuwon Ismail.
According to the police, the truck had already been stripped of its rear body/bucket and was being driven towards the Ogbomoso/Ilorin axis for delivery and sale.
Police said Ojedokun subsequently confessed to masterminding the hijacking of the truck from his employer. Information obtained from his interrogation allegedly led detectives to two more suspects, Adekunle Sunday and Rasheed Music.
Investigators said Sunday was the syndicate’s regular driver for stolen trucks, while Music allegedly specialised in disabling and removing trackers and other electronic devices that could help owners or security agencies locate the vehicles.
The Command said the truck was hijacked at about 11 p.m. on August 24 before the suspects attempted to move it towards the Ogbomoso/Ilorin corridor.
The police intervention, however, disrupted the plan and secured the recovery of the vehicle.
The search continues for the truck’s detached rear body and other members of the alleged syndicate who remain at large.
CP Olugbenga praised members of the public whose information helped police foil the operation, stressing that intelligence-led policing would remain central to the Command’s fight against organised crime in Oyo State.
The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied claims that it imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state.
According to the board, it has no legal authority to regulate how Christians conduct their religious activities.
The board’s commandant, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday in Sokoto.
The clarification followed social media claims alleging that the board was interfering with Christian worship in Sokoto.
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