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The Court of Appeal in Lagos has released Idris Musa, who was arrested in 2010 by the police in connection with the murder of Ali Kolo.
Musa spent 14 years in Kirikiri prisons without trial and developed mental health issues during his incarceration.
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Initially arrested and held on holden charge pending a Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) advice, Musa was eventually arraigned before the High Court after two years.
However, his trial was suspended when a prosecution witness testified that he was not the person responsible for the crime.
Subsequently, neither the Police nor the office of the Attorney-General of Lagos state pursued the case, leaving Musa in jail.
In 2017, a law firm filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit seeking his release. Despite a court order to expedite his prosecution, Musa remained in prison.
In 2020, an appeal was filed on Musa’s behalf, arguing that his prolonged detention without trial and the failure to arraign him before court violated his constitutional rights.
The Court of Appeal, in its judgment, recognized Musa’s long incarceration and ordered his unconditional release due to the evidence of his mental disorder.
Justice Jimi Bada, delivering the lead judgment, noted that Musa had been in custody for 14 years without trial and had developed mental health issues as a result. The court ordered his unconditional release to enable his family to care for him adequately. Justices Folashade Ojo and Paul Bassi concurred with the judgment.
