Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke has pardoned two convicts in the infamous poultry robbery case, Segun Olowookere and Sunday Morakinyo.
Olowookere and Morakinyo was convicted and sentenced to death by an Osun State High Court on December 17, 2014, for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, and stealing.
His case gained public attention recently after his mother appeared on a podcast, pleading for intervention in her son’s plight.
The story went viral on social media, prompting Adeleke to direct the state’s attorney general to begin the process for his pardon.
In a statement released on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor announced the pardon of Olowookere, Morakinyo, and 51 other inmates.
The statement partly read, “In line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Governor Ademola Adeleke has exercised the prerogative of mercy towards 53 convicts serving various convictions 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), I am pleased to extend my grace and mercy unto the said inmates.
“Convict recommended for outright pardon for good conduct (capital offences) are: Sunday Morakinyo, Segun Olowookere, Tunde Olapade and Demola Odeyemi.”
Adeleke directed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to begin a full investigation into the case and initiate processes to grant the man a prerogative of mercy.
Earlier in the day, the state’s judiciary had, in anticipation of the governor’ decision, issued a statement defending the conviction of the two chicken thieves.
The Osun State Judiciary also dismisses public criticism of the judgement as misinformation.
In a statement released on Thursday, Chief Registrar F. I. Omisade described claims that the pair were sentenced for stealing a single fowl as a distortion of facts.
“The convicts were part of an armed robbery operation targeting a poultry farm and other victims,” he explained.
The robbers were apprehended in Oyan, Osun State, in 2010. Reports revealed they used firearms during their operations, leading to their prosecution and subsequent conviction by the High Court in Ikirun.
“Luck ran out on them in April 2010 when they were caught in action while robbing a poultry farm. Arms were recovered from them. They equally confessed to committing several armed robberies,” the statement added.
The judiciary clarified that both individuals, aged 18 and 19 at the time, were found guilty of multiple armed robbery charges after a trial spanning over a year.
The judge not only followed legal protocols but also recommended clemency through the governor’s office.
Social media has heightened the controversy, with many claiming that the case involves minor theft. This has gained the attention of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who hints at a possible pardon for Olowokere.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and other advocates have called for leniency, citing the convicts’ young age at the time of the crime.
However, the judiciary maintains its position, urging the public to consider the facts.
“These individuals were apprehended while armed, robbing unsuspecting citizens. The punishment reflects the gravity of their actions under the law,” Omisade stated.
