John Gift Tobia stepped out into freedom on Tuesday, June 4, after spending over eight years behind bars without ever facing trial.
The 39-year-old Nigerian man had been locked away at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre since March 6, 2017 a total of eight years, four months, and ten days without a single day in court.
His long-awaited release came not through a judicial process that had failed him for years, but through the intervention of a pro bono human rights lawyer, Hope Azeru-Oziri, widely known on social media as “Law in Pidgin”.
“Freedom after 8 years, 4 months and 10 days. Court don release John Gift Tobia wey Nigerian Police send go prison for no reason,” Azeru-Oziri posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Gift dey awaiting trial for years with no hope until God remember am through me. On 4/6/2025, High Court for Rivers State don free am.”
Tobia’s case is a chilling reminder of the widespread problem of prolonged pretrial detention in Nigeria. Held on allegations never brought before a judge, Tobia’s name never appeared on any court hearing list. According to the lawyer, he had simply been “forgotten” in the system a system plagued by delays, negligence, and sometimes outright abuse of power.
His release video, also shared online, captured Tobia holding back tears as he thanked the lawyer for what he described as a divine rescue.
“Na God use you rescue me,” he said, visibly shaken but grateful. “I go start life again, even though time don go.”
Tobia now joins the growing list of Nigerians who have suffered in silence under a system that often prioritises punishment over justice. According to data from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), as of March 2025, over 66 percent of inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities were still awaiting trial. This translates to more than 53,000 people held without conviction some for minor offences, others like Tobia, for charges they hardly understand.
Similarly, the World Prison Brief reports that pre-trial detainees accounted for approximately 65.9 percent of Nigeria’s prison population as at May 2025, indicating deep-rooted systemic delays in the criminal justice process.
Azeru-Oziri has since called for disciplinary action against the officers responsible for Tobia’s unlawful incarceration.
“Normally, e no suppose better for some Police men,” she wrote, reflecting a frustration that has now become a rallying cry for justice reform advocates online.
Tobia, for now, is focusing on starting over. “I no even know how world be again,” he said in the follow-up clip. “But I go find work. I go dey thank God.”
