Quadri Yusuf Alabi, the young Nigerian who rose to prominence during the 2023 general elections for courageously standing in front of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy, has shared harrowing details of his time in Kirikiri Prison after being falsely accused and jailed.
Speaking in an emotional interview on Channels Television on Monday, Quadri, now free, recounted how he was thrown into prison after being allegedly framed by ‘area boys’ (thugs) and detained by the Divisional Police Officer of Amukoko Police Headquarters for conspiracy and armed robbery.
"My job in prison from morning to night was to clean faeces,” he revealed.
“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 became a national symbol of youthful courage when he stood defiantly before Obi’s campaign vehicle in 2023.
That viral moment spread admiration and led to financial and moral support from Nigerians. But his newfound visibility also attracted dangerous attention.
“When the campaign happened in 2023, some people were telling my mum that the money Peter Obi gave me should be shared with them,” Quadri said.
“They threatened to kidnap me if we didn’t share it.”
His mother refused. “My mum told them it can't be possible, that if her son, who stood in front of the car, had been shot, would they be asking for a share if I had died?”
According to Quadri, that refusal led to a plot against him.
He was eventually handed over to police by the thugs in what he described as a setup.
“I had just come back from work — I was a motor boy delivering fish to Port Harcourt. As I got to our street, I didn’t know a fight had broken out earlier. ‘Area boys’ grabbed me and told police, ‘See the boy.’ That’s how I was arrested,” he narrated.
Quadri said he spent a week in a police cell before being transferred to prison.
“They locked me with four elderly men I didn’t know. The ‘area boys’ claimed I destroyed property and stole phones. I told them I was just coming from work, but they didn’t listen,” he said.
In Kirikiri Prison, life was dehumanising. The lack of resources intensified Quadri’s traumatic experience.
“Because I had no money to give to the wardens, they made me clean faeces every day. I was in hell,” he said.
"I Want To Be Better Person"
However, despite the trauma, Quadri said he is getting better now and is determined to reclaim his life.
He expressed deep gratitude to Nigerians who stood by him.
“I want to thank Nigerians. God will bless them. People that are blessing me — God will not forget them too.”
He also revealed plans to return to school and escape the toxic environment that set him up.
“I’m ready to go back to school. I want to become a better person. I want to leave the area because people ‘have put an eye on my body (know me)’”
Quadri’s story has reignited public concern over police brutality, wrongful arrests, and the treatment of young Nigerians, particularly those from disadvantaged communities in Nigeria.
However, his resilience shines through — a young man determined to rise from trauma and reclaim his future.
