Osun Court dismisses false claims of death sentence for stealing fowl

The Osun State High Court has rejected widespread reports suggesting that Olowookere Segun, a young man, was sentenced to death for stealing a fowl, calling the claims false and maliciously distorted.

This comes as Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, announced on Thursday that Olowookere and his co-convict, Sunday Morakinyo, had been granted a pardon by the state government.

In a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight,” issued by the registrar of the State High Court, Omisade F. I., on December 20, 2024, and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, the court clarified that the two men were not convicted for stealing a fowl, as widely reported.

The trial, which ran from February 11, 2013, to December 17, 2014, found the duo guilty of multiple armed robberies, including an armed robbery at a poultry farm. However, the judgment reignited controversy years later, sparking outrage among many Nigerians.

After receiving pleas from the convict’s parents, Folashade and Olanrewaju, who maintained their son’s innocence and appealed to Governor Adeleke for leniency, the governor assured the family last week that he would consider granting a pardon.

Fulfilling his promise, Governor Adeleke, through a statement released on Thursday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, announced that Olowookere, Morakinyo, and 51 other inmates had been granted clemency.

The statement read: “In line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, Governor Ademola Adeleke has exercised the prerogative of mercy towards 53 convicts serving various sentences within the Nigerian Correctional Service.

“Now know ye therefore that, I, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the Governor of Osun State of Nigeria, in exercise of the power conferred on me by paragraph (a), (c), and (d) of subsection (i) of Section 212 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), am pleased to extend my grace and mercy unto the said inmates.

“Convicts recommended for outright pardon for good conduct (capital offences) are: Sunday Morakinyo, Segun Olowookere, Tunde Olapade, and Demola Odeyemi.”

Addressing public outrage, the court clarified that Olowookere and Morakinyo were convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to death by hanging by the High Court of Justice, Ikirun Judicial Division, under the leadership of Hon. Justice S.O. Falola.

This statement contradicted the widespread reports claiming that the duo had been convicted for stealing a fowl. The court explained, “The actual facts of this case are that Olowookere and Morakinyo were involved in armed robberies in Oyan town and its surrounding areas.

“They were arrested in April 2010 while robbing a poultry farm, with arms recovered from them. They confessed to committing several armed robberies.”

The court further stated, “The public has been misinformed, with claims that Olowookere was convicted for stealing a fowl. A person cannot be sentenced to death for such a crime unless armed at the time of the offense.”

Explaining the legal framework, the court noted that armed robbery, when the accused is armed, mandates a death sentence, leaving no discretion for the judge after conviction.

In response to questions about the convicts’ ages, the statement clarified that Olowookere was 17 years old at the time of his arrest in 2010, contrary to earlier claims that he was a minor. Morakinyo, his accomplice, was 18 at the time.

“The facts of the case have been distorted. Olowookere was 17 years old when he was arrested, not a minor as some have claimed. Morakinyo was 18, and neither of their ages were contested during the trial.”

The statement also defended the trial judge, emphasizing that while the mandatory sentence was imposed, the judge showed compassion by recommending clemency for the convicts.

“The trial judge did what the law prescribed and went further to recommend them for mercy, demonstrating compassion within the law,” the statement concluded.

The court urged the public to verify facts before forming conclusions and warned against spreading misinformation that could undermine judicial integrity.