A young mother, John Mary, walked out of a Lagos courtroom a free woman on a day her case was not even scheduled for a hearing, following an intervention by a lawyer, Ogoke Arinze Alex.
Narrating the incident, Alex said he had no intention of being in court that day after being informed that his matter was not listed. “I wasn’t even supposed to be in court today,” he said. “Three minutes before I arrived, I was informed that my matter wasn’t listed in the cause list; the registrar had given me the wrong date. Ordinarily, I would have turned back to the office, but something in me insisted on going into the courtroom.”
According to him, events that followed within minutes proved decisive. “Nothing prepared me for what I saw just ten minutes later,” Alex said.
He recounted how a young woman in her early 20s entered the courtroom holding a one-month-old baby while dressed in a prison uniform. “I gently asked her what had happened,” he said. “She told me she had put to bed inside the prison barely a month ago. She had been arrested in April for a misdemeanour while pregnant, and had remained in custody since then. She was also standing trial without a lawyer.”
Alex said he immediately took up the matter when her case was called. “When her case was called, I immediately rose and announced appearance for her,” he said.
He noted that proceedings revealed serious lapses in the prosecution of the case. “The complainant was not in court. The prosecutor was present today, but not ready to proceed. They had not been attending court for several adjournments,” he stated.
Relying on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Lagos State and relevant case law, Alex urged the court to strike out the charge. “So I urged the court to strike out the matter and acquit the defendant,” he said.
Presiding judge, Mrs. A. K. Dosunmu Uthman, granted the application, striking out the charge and discharging and acquitting the defendant. Alex said the decision was met with spontaneous applause. “Your Honour… struck out the charge, discharged and acquitted her, and the entire courtroom erupted in applause,” he said.
He added that the moment marked a dramatic turn for the young mother. “John Mary, young mother who walked in wearing prison clothes, walked out a free woman,” Alex said.
Reflecting on the experience, he said, “I left the courtroom smiling, deeply convinced that God directed my steps today.”
