Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has granted a pardon to Segun Olowookere, widely known as the “death-for-fowl” convict, alongside his co-convict, Sunday Morakinyo. This decision also extends to 51 other inmates as part of the governor’s exercise of prerogative of mercy.
Olowookere was 17 years old when he was arrested in November 2010. He was later 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 drew widespread attention recently after his mother’s emotional plea on a podcast, where she sought intervention in her son’s situation.
The story quickly went viral on social media, prompting Governor Adeleke to instruct the state’s attorney general to investigate the matter and initiate the process for his pardon.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke confirmed the pardon for Olowookere, Morakinyo, and 51 other inmates. The decision followed recommendations from the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.
“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,” the statement read.
The governor’s proclamation continued, “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.”
Among those recommended for outright pardon for good conduct, particularly for capital offenses, were:
Sunday Morakinyo
Segun Olowookere
Tunde Olapade
Demola Odeyemi
NELSDAILY Online previously reported that last Wednesday, Governor Adeleke had directed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to conduct a thorough investigation into Olowookere’s case. The governor’s directive included initiating processes to grant the convict a prerogative of mercy.
The governor’s decision has been widely lauded as a compassionate move that underscores the importance of justice tempered with mercy. Advocacy groups and citizens alike have commended Adeleke for addressing what many perceived as an excessively harsh punishment in Olowookere’s case, while also extending clemency to other deserving individuals.
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