Residents of Lagos have taken to the internet to express their frustrations as floodwater take over different parts of the State.

Unceasing rainfall since on Sunday has caused many households displaced, while schools and workplaces have been temporarily shut.

Commenting on the development in an X post Tuesday, a governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour wrote: “The flooding we are witnessing across Lagos is yet another reminder that waste management, stormwater drainage, and urban planning are inseparable. You cannot neglect one and expect the others to function effectively…

“Despite repeated promises, the city continues to flood year after year, with no comprehensive drainage strategy or innovative approach to building a climate-resilient Lagos…

“Sadly, poorly regulated sand filling, unchecked development, the destruction of wetlands, and weak urban planning have displaced several vulnerable communities and exposed millions of residents to damaged homes, ruined vehicles, lost businesses, and reduced productivity. “

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had earlier forecast that 2026 would witness above-normal rainfall, with Lagos expected to experience a greater impact due to its coastal geography and low-lying terrain.

Writing on X, @abazwhyllzz wrote: “Lagos residents are going through a lot this rainy season.”

@Morris_Monye shared a video and added: “Just look at the flooding going on round Lagos. My goodness. If a toddler falls down here, it’s finished.”

@Accoid commented: “I was so early into that Ikorodu road flood yesterday, I quickly maneuvered my way into ilupeju where I saw line up of Mercedes Benz all parked, I turned around inward town planning towards Onipanu, that was how I escaped that Ikorodu road flooding stress.

“At Kayode onipanu, I saw flood layered with heap of waste caused mostly by road side vendors.

“Lagos people, stop selling by the road side, you’re causing traffic and also clogging the gutters!

“By the time I joined Ikorodu Road from Onipanu, not a single car on the highway, every human driving from Anthony, Obanikoro was stuck behind.”

@Vibesznnz disagreed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway under construction was the cause of the flooding: “The coastal road is not the cause of the flooding in Lagos. Eko Atlantic, which is close to the road, is not flooded. So how can areas far away be flooded and people blame the road? That logic doesn’t add up.”

Also, @e_galoti wrote, “The Lagos flood situation is crazy. It used to seem like a joke when people talked about using canoe during the rainy season. Now it’s looking real.”

The Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said on X on Monday, while commenting on the suggestion that roadside vendors should be stopped to protect drainage, that Lagosians must take responsibility.

He said: “As a government, we have continued to intensify efforts to mitigate the impact of flooding through the clearing of drainage channels, enforcement against illegal developments obstructing waterways, and other proactive interventions. At the same time, we appeal to all Lagosians to play their part by refraining from indiscriminate waste disposal, illegal dumping, and other activities that obstruct the free flow of storm-water.

“Given NiMet’s forecast, the risks associated with heavy rainfall remain significant. Government will continue to do its part, but safeguarding lives and property also requires the cooperation and collective responsibility of every resident.”

By Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi

INTRODUCTION

Justice is the foundation of every civilized society. Yet history has shown that innocent persons can sometimes be convicted while the guilty go free. The case of Adeyemi Faleye presents one of such disturbing examples.

For fifteen years, Adeyemi Faleye, a taxi driver and father of twins, lived under the terrifying shadow of death following his conviction for armed robbery.

But in 2023, hope rose like the morning sun.
A court registrar, who understood the mission of CJMR and knew its commitment to reviewing forgotten cases, contacted the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation concerning Adeyemi Faleye’s case.

That single contact opened the door to a fresh search for truth.

By 2024, CJMR had carefully reviewed the records of proceedings, the judgment, and the available court processes.

What emerged from that review was deeply troubling: serious questions surrounded the integrity, credibility, and reliability of the evidence upon which Adeyemi Faleye’s conviction had been founded.

THE BEGINNING OF THE ORDEAL

On 28 February 2011, Adeyemi Faleye left home in search of his daily bread. According to him, while travelling from Aferiku towards Idiroko, his vehicle developed a mechanical fault at Mede. While waiting for his mechanic, he was apprehended by members of the OPC vigilante group. That arrest marked the beginning of a fifteen-year nightmare. He was subsequently charged with conspiracy and armed robbery and was sentenced to death by hanging on 13 February 2018. Throughout the trial, he maintained his innocence.

CJMR’S INTERVENTION

As part of its prison ministry and wrongful conviction review programme, CJMR visited Adeyemi Faleye in custody. Following his persistent claim of innocence, CJMR undertook an independent forensic review of the judgment, witness testimonies and court records.

ISSUE ONE: THE ARREST NARRATIVE COLLAPSED

Adeyemi stated that he was arrested around 8:30 a.m. beside his broken-down vehicle by OPC vigilantes. However, police witnesses presented conflicting accounts, including a claim that he was arrested after a gun battle near the scene of the crime. The OPC vigilantes who allegedly arrested him never testified. If he was arrested beside his vehicle, how could he simultaneously have been arrested at the scene after a gun battle?

ISSUE TWO: CONTRADICTORY PROSECUTION EVIDENCE

PW1 stated that the robbery occurred around 8:00 p.m. on 27 February 2011. PW2 stated that it occurred before 10:00 p.m. PW3 claimed that the complaint was reported around 3:10 a.m. on 28 February 2011, while PW4 stated that the incident occurred on 28 February 2011 at about 1:00 a.m. These were not minor discrepancies but material contradictions going to the root of the case.

ISSUE THREE: THE CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT

The conviction rested substantially on an alleged confessional statement. Adeyemi denied making the statement and maintained that it was written by the police. The statement itself conflicted with the prosecution’s timeline. According to the statement, the robbery occurred around midnight or 1:00 a.m., whereas prosecution witnesses placed the incident between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The unavoidable question is: who truly made the statement?

ISSUE FOUR: THE QUESTION OF REASON AND LOGIC

The prosecution’s narrative suggested that armed robbers remained around the vicinity of the crime scene for many hours after the robbery. Is it probable that armed robbers would remain in the same environment for as long as twelve hours waiting to be arrested? No independent witness testified about any gun battle, no petrol attendant testified, and no forensic evidence linked Adeyemi to the alleged crime.

THE TURNING POINT: WHEN THE TRIAL JUDGE SPOKE BEYOND THE LAW

After sentencing Adeyemi Faleye to death, the learned trial judge recommended him for executive pardon. This recommendation was highly significant. It suggested lingering concerns regarding the totality of the evidence and the moral certainty required to justify the irreversible punishment of death.

For CJMR, this recommendation became one of the strongest pillars upon which its intervention was anchored. When a judge convicts with the law but pleads for mercy, it may mean that the law has spoken, but justice is still unsettled.

CJMR’S FIRST INTERVENTION IN 2024

Following its forensic review, CJMR prepared and presented a comprehensive petition to the Ogun State Board of Mercy in 2024. The petition highlighted contradictory evidence, conflicting accounts of arrest, failure to call material witnesses, and the doubtful confessional statement. Upon review, the authorities commuted Adeyemi’s sentence from death to life imprisonment. While this removed him from the shadow of the gallows, CJMR maintained that the case pointed to a possible wrongful conviction.

CJMR RETURNS TO THE CASE IN 2026

In 2026, CJMR embarked on a wider exercise of gathering complaints of wrongful convictions across the South-West. During this process, thirty-two complaints were received. Out of these, fourteen cases involving nineteen persons were carefully selected for further review and intervention.

It was within this broader justice initiative that CJMR revisited the case of Adeyemi Faleye and once again approached the Ogun State Board of Mercy.

This time, CJMR argued that mercy alone was insufficient. The Board was urged to consider the totality of the evidence, the contradictions in the prosecution’s case, the doubtful confessional statement, and the recommendation of the trial judge himself.

CJMR maintained that where substantial doubt exists, justice demands more than commutation.It demands freedom.

AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS

After fifteen painful years of incarceration, the Ogun State Government under Governor Dapo Abiodun granted

On 24 June, 2026 Adeyemi Faleye amnesty. The taxi driver who once stood under the shadow of the gallows walked out of prison a free man. His story reminds us that the search for justice does not end with conviction. Truth, persistence and restorative justice can still prevail.

Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi CRJ is the
Founder, Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR)

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, vowed to challenge the judgment nullifying its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it would exercise its constitutional right of appeal.

Reacting to the ruling on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC was still awaiting the certified copy of the judgment before making a comprehensive statement on the court’s decision.

He, however, confirmed that the party had resolved to head to the appellate court.

“We are still waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment. After reading the comprehensive judgment, we will make a detailed statement,” he said.

The spokesman added: “For now, what is certain is that we will exercise our right of appeal.”

Insisting that the party would challenge the ruling, he said: “It is our constitutional right to appeal, and we intend to exercise that right.”

When asked specifically whether the NDC would appeal the judgment voiding its registration, the spokesman replied: “Yes, the party will appeal the case.”

The party’s reaction came shortly after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in a judgement that nullified its registration by INEC, a development that could have significant implications for the NDC’s participation in the country’s political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NDC, however, maintained that it would refrain from making further comments on the substance of the judgment until it had studied the full text of the court’s decision.

The party’s planned appeal is expected to set the stage for a fresh legal battle over its status and continued existence as a registered political party.