Jonah, a twenty-five-year-old native of Abia State, Nigeria, was living with his family in Lagos and working as an apprentice at a workshop. In May 2016, he attended a family friend's naming ceremony and stayed for the evening festivities. Around 8 p.m., while stepping outside to use the restroom, he was unexpectedly seized from behind by one person, with two others joining in to subdue him. They struck him on the head to weaken him, and Jonah soon realized they were police officers based on their clothing. They transported him to a nearby police station and then transferred him to the PANTI police station the following day.
A few days later, Jonah's brother sought his release on bail and was initially asked to provide N200,000. After negotiating, the amount was reduced to N150,000. He paid N50,000 upfront and promised to pay the remaining balance the next day. To their shock, Jonah was charged in court the following day alongside two other individuals. While Jonah was not arrested with these individuals, he was charged with them due to his acquaintance with them from the neighborhood. He faced charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, while the others were also charged with additional counts of armed robbery.
Jonah was granted bail by the court, but his mother faced repeated setbacks with lawyers. She paid N180,000 to one lawyer, who then disappeared, and another N150,000 to a second lawyer, who also vanished. Out of options and financially strained due to borrowing funds, Jonah suggested that his mother should focus on prayers rather than continuing to pay lawyers.
In January 2017, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised that Jonah should be released, as there was no evidence against him. Unfortunately, Jonah was not present in court on the day this decision was made, nor did he have a lawyer to follow up on the order. As a result, he remained imprisoned and continued to appear in court alongside the other defendants while waiting for the case to be filed at the High Court. Jonah remained in prison until 2021.
In April 2021, a lawyer from the Headfort Foundation, stationed at the Ogba Magistrate Court mobile office, took on Jonah’s case. After conducting a court search, the lawyer discovered that Jonah should have been released in January 2017. The situation was distressing, revealing a grave miscarriage of justice due to administrative errors. The lawyer promptly applied for a production warrant to bring Jonah to court. Despite three attempts to secure his presence, a JUSUN strike halted progress. When the court resumed in June, the lawyer renewed efforts, and on June 17, 2021, Jonah was finally brought to court and subsequently discharged.
