Lagos govt denies viral claim of 14-year-old boy’s illegal detention
Lagos State Government Addresses Allegations of Unlawful Detention of Juvenile
LAGOS — The Lagos State Government has refuted allegations made in a widely circulated social media video claiming that a 14-year-old boy named Michael Adekunle was unlawfully arrested and detained at the Kirikiri custodial facility without trial.
In a statement from the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the government labeled the claims as “deliberate misinformation” intended to mislead the public and garner sympathy for the individual involved.
Attorney-General Lawal Pedro clarified that the central figure in the controversy is actually Michael Adebiyi, who was 18 years old at the time of his arrest in 2022. Official records confirm that Adebiyi was apprehended along with Adedeji Kabiru and Adekunle Waris on charges of armed robbery.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions received the duplicate case file on January 6, 2023, for legal evaluation, and issued its recommendations on January 25, 2023. The legal advice established a prima facie case against Adebiyi and Kabiru for alleged conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery, as defined under Sections 299 and 297(2)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
According to the statement, Waris was discharged and released due to a lack of evidence linking him to the alleged offenses.
Criminal charges against Adebiyi and Kabiru were subsequently filed in the Lagos State High Court on May 31, 2023. The case was initially assigned to Justice A.J. Coker but has since been reassigned to Justice H.O. Oshodi following Justice Coker’s redeployment.
The prosecution has concluded its case in the trial currently presided over by Justice Oshodi. The defense recently submitted a no-case application, challenging the evidence put forth by the prosecution. This application was served to the state on April 23, 2026, and the hearing has been scheduled for July 1, 2026.
In response to claims regarding the defendant’s age, the government maintained that both the defendant’s statements and official records consistently identify him as Michael Adebiyi, 18 years old at the time of arrest, rather than the 14-year-old “Michael Adekunle” mentioned in the viral video.
Furthermore, the government emphasized that there had been no objections raised regarding the defendant’s identity or age during court proceedings. Had these concerns been addressed earlier, the court would have been able to conduct an age inquiry as outlined in Section 206 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The government urged the public to disregard the viral video, asserting that its claims do not correspond with court records or prosecution documentation. “The video appears to have been deliberately circulated to evoke public sentiment and undue sympathy for the defendant,” the statement concluded.
