In 1991, Twelve Young People Known as ‘Kid Robbers’ Were Sentenced to Death in Lagos – Femi Falana

In a recent interview with Sahara TV, renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) recounted the compelling 1991 case involving twelve young men, who were labeled as “kid robbers” by the media and sentenced to death under Nigeria’s military regime. Continue Reading>>>>...CONTINUE READING>>>

The group, comprising Ghanaians, Togolese, and Nigerians, was convicted in Lagos for conspiracy and armed robbery. However, Falana’s legal team uncovered a significant flaw in the case: the defendants did not share a common language, which is a legal prerequisite for establishing a conspiracy.

Falana, alongside the Gani Fawehinmi Chambers, took up the challenge to overturn the conviction. “We discovered a mistrial, but when we went to court, the ruling stated that there was no clear jurisdiction,” Falana explained. The ruling posed a major obstacle in their fight to save the lives of the twelve young men, but Falana and his colleagues remained committed to seeking justice.

In a pioneering move, Falana proposed leveraging the African Charter as an avenue for justice—a relatively untested approach at that time. Chief Gani Fawehinmi supported the idea, leading them to submit a petition to the African Commission and initiate legal action under the African Charter in the Lagos High Court.

According to Falana, “Under the military in 1991, twelve young persons, referred to by the media as ‘kid robbers,’ were convicted in Lagos and sentenced to death. We identified a case of mistrial. They were charged with conspiracy and armed robbery. We discovered that the twelve young people did not speak a common language; some were Ghanaians, some Togolese, and some Nigerians.”

He added, “In such cases, you must speak a common language before you can establish a case of conspiracy. We took up the case. The Gani Fawehinmi Chambers went to court, but the court ruled that there was no clear jurisdiction.” Continue Reading>>>>

“So, we faced challenges in saving them. But we all agreed that we must do everything to save the lives of these young people. I then suggested to Chief Gani Fawehinmi that we could approach the African Charter. He said, ‘Why don’t you try?’ We sent a petition to the African Commission and filed an action under the African Charter in the Lagos High Court.”

For more details, watch the video.