Man regains freedom after 5 months in jail for confronting thief who stole his phone

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Following an attempt to recover his stolen phone, Umar, a Nigerian man, was detained for five months before being finally released.

Umar was attacked and had his phone stolen in February 2025 while out on a stroll in Abuja’s Mabushi neighborhood. He tried to go to a local police station to report the theft but was turned away.

A few days later, Umar confronted the suspected thief after spotting him. A physical altercation resulted with the situation rapidly becoming out of hand. The suspect allegedly called in goons during the altercation, who then attacked Umar before calling the police. Instead of apprehending the assailants, the police held Umar without conducting a thorough investigation.

He was charged in court after being detained for a few days. However, the prosecution’s persistent absences caused delays in the legal procedure. On July 2, 2025, a legal team finally took up Umar’s case and went to court to ask that the matter be dismissed for lack of prosecution. Umar was released after the court’s agreement.

One of the lawyers said: “Umar’s case exposes yet another recurring flaw in the Nigerian justice system where vulnerable Nigerians are denied access to the very system meant to protect them. That such a case even made it to court without due investigation is troubling.”

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