The governor of Osun, Ademola Adeleke, has pardoned Segun Olowookere, who was sentenced to death by hanging for stealing eggs and a chicken in 2010.
Adeleke granted the prerogative of mercy to 53 prisoners, including Olowookere, in a statement issued on Thursday.
The governor also pardoned Sunday Morakinyo, Olowookere’s co-defendant.
Following an interview that his parents agreed to, Olowookere’s story went viral and caused widespread outrage.
The parents said in an interview with Nigerian actress Biola Adebayo that Olowookere was arrested by Osun police command for a crime he did not commit.
Olanrewaju, his father, said a divisional police officer (DPO) asked him to pay N30,000 for his son’s rerelease, noting that he could only raise N20,000 at the time.
Olowookere’s parents had appealed to Nigerians to help intervene in their son’s ordeal.
Following the viral video, Adeleke directed the attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Osun to commence a full probe into the matter.
THE CASE
In 2010, Olowookere and Morakinyo were arraigned over alleged armed robbery.
They were said to have been arrested while robbing a poultry farm. Arms were reportedly recovered from them.
In December 2014, they were sentenced to death by hanging.
In Osun, the offense of armed robbery had a mandatory punishment of death by hanging.
FULL LIST OF THOSE GRANTED PARDON
Adeleke remitted the remainder of the sentences of 30 inmates convicted for simple offenses.
- 1. Olubo Sunday
- 2. Isah Umar Biodun
- 3. Fawas Kareem
- 4. Omirin Temitayo
- 5. Olarenwaju Ayomide
- 6. Dare Sunday
- 7. Oladapo Tunde
- 8. Ganiyu Saheed
- 9. Adewumi Sodiq
- 10. Adebayo Adeoye Kehinde
- 11. Lasis Kazeem
- 12. Dauda Ojo (59 YEARS)
- 13. Ismaila Raji
- 14. Oseni Michael
- 15. Ajayi Korede
- 16. Abiona Nurudeen
- 17. Oshi Samuel
- 18. Sheu Yusuf Olatunji
- 19. Ojo Aanu
- 20. Mustapha Kehinde
- 21. Lasis Abeeb
- 22. Alexandra Iorlaha
- 23. Ojo Taiwo
- 24. Azeez Mujeeb
- 25. Akinyemi David
- 26. Adeosun Adekunle
- 27. Olaobaju Samuel
- 28. Adura Adefemi
- 29. Paul Basil
- 30. Kunle David
Twelve inmates convicted for simple offenses were granted “outright pardon.”.
- 1. Olabomiji Nurudeen
- 2. Mustapha Isah
- 3. Olalekan Abdullahi
- 4. Ayomide Olojede
- 5. Akeem Raphael
- 6. Adeyemi Abiodun
- 7. Oladipupo Segun
- 8. Omisakin Sunday
- 9. Ademola Adio
- 10. Tunde Olapade
- 11. Late Chief Wole Ola Rufus Ojo
- 12. Omoloye Olajide Olayemi
Six convicts on death row regained their freedom.
- 1 Oluwafemi Fagbemi
- 2 Bewaji Sunday
- 3. Amehin George
- 4. Ayomide Arulogun
- 5. Taiwo Oluwatobi Stephen
- 6. Abubakar Abdulazeez
Four convicts sentenced to death were granted outright pardon.
- 1. Sunday Morakinyo
- 2. Segun Olowookere
- 3. Tunde Olapade
- 4. Demola Odeyemi
