Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the young man who became famous in 2023 for standing in front of Peter Obi’s campaign convoy, has shared the sad story of how he was wrongly jailed and made to clean faeces every day in prison.
In an emotional interview on Channels Television, Quadri, now a free man, explained that he was framed by some area boys and taken to Kirikiri Prison after being accused of conspiracy and armed robbery.
“My duty in prison from morning to night was to clean faeces,” he said.
“I was treated like someone without a family. I didn’t have money to give the wardens, so they left me in that condition. That was my daily punishment.”
Quadri rose to national attention during the 2023 general elections when a video of him standing boldly in front of the Labour Party presidential candidate’s convoy went viral. Many Nigerians praised his courage, and some even gave him financial help. But his fame brought trouble.
“After the campaign, people came to my mother and said the money Peter Obi gave me should be shared. They threatened to kidnap me,” he said.
Quadri’s mother refused. “She told them if I had been shot while standing in front of the car, would they still be asking for money?”
According to Quadri, this led to him being set up. “I just returned from work. I was working as a motor boy delivering fish to Port Harcourt. I didn’t know there had been a fight in the area. When I came, the area boys grabbed me and told the police, ‘See the boy.’ That’s how I was arrested,” he said.
He was first locked up at the Amukoko Police Headquarters for one week and later sent to Kirikiri Prison. “They said I destroyed things and stole phones. I told them I just came back from work, but nobody listened,” he added.
In prison, Quadri said he was kept with older inmates and given the dirty job of cleaning human waste daily. He described his time there as “hell.”
Despite the painful experience, Quadri is hopeful for a better future. “I want to go back to school. I want to become a better person. I want to leave the area because people know me there now.”
He also thanked Nigerians for their support. “God will bless everyone who helped me. I will never forget them.”
