Controversy trails pardon for Osun man facing death penalty for fowl theft
Controversy trails pardon for Osun man facing death penalty for fowl theft
A decade after being sentenced to death for allegedly stealing a fowl in Osun State, Segun Olowookere may soon be spared from execution, according to emerging reports on Tuesday, igniting controversy among Nigerians.
Governor Ademola Adeleke said he had directed the state attorney general to investigate the circumstances surrounding the conviction and consider the possibility of granting a pardon.
In 2010, at just 17 years old, Olowookere and his accomplice, Morakinyo Sunday, were arrested for attacking the homes of a police officer and another individual.
Armed with a wooden gun and a sword, they managed to steal only the fowl.
Following prolonged legal battles, Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court sentenced the two men to death by hanging in 2014.
The court found them guilty of forcibly breaking into the police officer’s home and stealing his belongings.
Ten years after the verdict, the parents of the convict, Folashade and Olanrewaju, pleaded his innocence, insisting that he was wrongfully convicted, alleging that he had been framed by the police officer handling the case.
“My son is innocent. There’s nowhere we haven’t got to over this matter. I appeal to the governor to have pity on us because the judge said it is only the governor who can pardon him after 10 years in prison,” said the downtrodden Folashade when she featured on a Biola Adebayo YouTube video sighted by PUNCH Metro on Wednesday.
Olarewaju added, “The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the case told me to pay N30,000 if I don’t want my child to go to prison. However, I could only raise N20000. This happened in 2010.”
Following the viral appeal videos, Adeleke said, “I have received the report of a case of a young man reportedly sentenced to death by hanging in Osun State for stealing a fowl.
“Consequently, I have directed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Osun State, to commence a full investigation into the matter and initiate processes to grant the prerogative of mercy to the young man.
“Osun is a land of justice and equity and must ensure fairness and protection of the sanctity of lives. I assure members of the public that this matter is receiving my direct attention with every sense of urgency also attached to our response to the matter.”
Shortly after the governor considered granting the convict a pardon, some members of the Nigerian Bar Association warned against yielding to emotional blackmail.
According to them, the convict was sentenced to death by hanging as mandated for an armed robbery offence. They warned that bypassing the proper legal process could set a dangerous precedent.
A Lagos-based lawyer, Ridwan Oke, stated that the punishment for armed robbery is clear, emphasising that the prosecuting counsel had proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
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“Except you actually want to pardon everyone who has been found guilty of armed robbery, the law is clear as to the punishment for armed robbery.
“The prosecution proved their case along with every ingredient necessary to prove the offence, and the judge was right to convict them and sentence them to death. The offence was committed using a cutlass and a gun.
“Anyone using a cutlass and a gun to commit robbery, whether to steal a fowl or a pencil, is capable of killing for that fowl or pencil if they found anyone in their way, and that’s exactly what would have happened to the owner of the house they robbed if that one had been overpowered,” Oke maintained in a post shared via his X.com handle on Wednesday.
Another lawyer, Savn Daniel, wrote, “There are 100s of Nigerians languishing in jail for an offence they did not commit. This is why whenever I come across them, I go all out to render help pro bono.
“On the 23rd of this month, I will be in court in defence of an innocent man who was wrongly accused.”
Meanwhile, other Nigerians have praised the state governor’s decision to pardon the convict, calling it long overdue.
Leading the pack was @Olubanki, who said, ”It is appalling that a judge/magistrate could give such a ruling on such an offence.
“However, it would be appreciated if you could go the extra mile by recommending to the National Judicial Council to investigate the magistrate/judge who pronounced such a verdict and also review all concluded cases in his/her name.
“Some people may have been killed or languishing in jail for some mere trivial offences.”
Also, the executive director of the World Institute for Peace, Lamina Omotoyosi, urged the state government to pardon Olowookere in an open letter sighted by PUNCH Metro on Wednesday.
The letter read in part, “Olowookere’s conviction stems from an incident involving the allegation of theft of a fowl and eggs from a poultry farm in Oyan, Osun State, over 10 years ago.
“Three. The gravity of a death sentence for such an offence raises significant ethical questions, particularly when considering the young age at which Segun was convicted and the minimal value of the items involved. However, no justification for any crime, but Olowookere actually pleaded not guilty to this crime.
“His parents, Folashade and Olanrewaju Olowookere, have been vocal in their pleas for clemency, expressing their devastation over the loss of their only son to the confines of prison for over a decade.”
