The Daily Torch Media
I wasn’t even supposed to be in court today.
Three minutes before I arrived, I was informed that my matter wasn’t listed on 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 stepping into the courtroom.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw just ten minutes later.
A young girl in her early 20s walked in, dressed in a prison uniform and holding her one-month-old baby.
I gently asked what had happened. She told me she gave birth in prison barely a month ago. She had been arrested in April for a misdemeanor while pregnant and had remained in custody since. She was also standing trial without a lawyer.
When her case was called, I immediately rose and announced my appearance for her.
The complainant was not in court.
The prosecutor was present but unprepared to proceed.
They had failed to appear for several previous adjournments.
I urged the court to strike out the matter and discharge the defendant, citing the relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Lagos and applicable case law.
Her Honour, Mrs. A.K. Dosunmu-Uthman, struck out the charge, discharged, and acquitted her.
The courtroom erupted in applause.
John Mary—the young mother who walked in wearing prison clothes—walked out a free woman.
I left the courtroom smiling, deeply convinced that God directed my steps today.”
— Ogoke Arinze Alex
Young Mother Freed: Lawyer’s Unexpected Court Visit Leads to Acquittal of Inmate Who Gave Birth in Prison
