Two teenage brothers have regained their freedom after spending nine months in prison in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
The duo, who are 17 and 15 years old, had been detained since February 2021, for allegedly stealing eye drops for their father, who is said to be suffering from an eye problem.
According to their lawyer, Tope Temokun, the boys were arrested after a neighbour accused them of bringing things home without any source of income.
Mr Temokun said the boys were ordered to be released by a magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, November 16.
Mr Temokun took to his Facebook page after their release to share their ordeal as he shares photos of them while exiting the cells.
“The police arrested, charged them and got them remanded in prison, but stopped coming to court due to lack of evidence. So the magistrate had to strike out the case,” part of his lengthy post read.
According to him, he was moved to be a counsel for the boys after one Comrade Moyinoluwa Victor Emmanuel, who is also a victim of persecution by the Ekiti State government, for participating in the October 2020 #EndSARS protest reported the case to his chambers.
“I was moved by Moyinoluwa’s passion for justice. On the day he spoke with me for the first time, he said since he left prison, his conscience had not let him rest anytime he remembered those two teenagers in prison,” he added.