The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has intervened in the case of Segun Olowwokere, who was arrested in 2010 at the age of 17 and sentenced to death in 2014 for stealing a chicken.
The convict, who is now 31 years old, was moved from his state of residence to Kirikiri Correctional Centre in Lagos after sentencing.
The plight of Olowookere, which was brought to the fore on Tuesday via an interview granted by his parents to a podcast: “Talk to B,” attracted the attention of Governor Adeleke, who took to his X handle on Thursday.
He tweeted: “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 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.”
According to Olowookere’s father, Olanrewaju, his son was wrongfully arrested.
He told the host of the show, Biola Adebayo, that some policemen came to arrest some friends of his son at about 11am on a particular day over stolen chicken but he was not at home.
He said when his son returned, he told him to run away, but he proclaimed his innocence and stayed at home until the policemen arrived at about 9pm that same day.
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Olanrewaju added: “I told my son about the incident, and he said they can’t be looking for him.
“My son doesn’t eat chicken because I also have a poultry.
“He said he can’t run away because he doesn’t even eat chicken.
“We begged him, but he insisted he won’t run because he’s innocent.
“The policemen returned around 9pm that same day, and someone came to tell him (Segun) about it and urged him to run away.
“He didn’t run until the police took him away.
“I later realised the owner of the chicken was a member of my extended family.
“I got to the station, and the DPO told me to bring N30,000 if I didn’t want my child to go to jail.
“The arrested children were about seven when we got to the station.
“So I wondered why they demanded N30,000 from only my son, but the DPO insisted.”
Olowookere said after his futile plea for the Divisional Police Officer to accept N20,000 failed, he went to appeal to some politicians he knew to prevail on him, including a brother of a former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, adding: “I begged him to collect the money, but he insisted on N30,000, so I should go and look for the complete money.
“He said he had no child and had no reason to be merciful.
“I decided to involve politicians.
“I went to meet one of the brothers of the then governor, Oyinlola.
“The brother sent someone to the DPO to release the boy, but the DPO said I went to report him to someone, and it wouldn’t stop him from collecting the money.
“He said I’ll be surprised that my son will go to jail.
“Within five minutes, he brought out my son and the rest.
“He also brought out the cutlasses they found in the house of their parents because they searched our houses.
“One of the boys’ father was a hunter.
“They also brought his gun.
“The DPO laid the weapons in front of the boys and took their pictures with the weapons.
“He told me to say goodbye to my son.
“Then I burst into tears.
“He told me not to come close and that he doesn’t accept apologies.
“That was how they took the children away.
“They took them to Osogbo.
“On getting there, we had to get the service of a lawyer.
“They took the rest of them to welfare, but only my son was taken to Ilesa (prison).”
Olanrewaju said six months into the trial, the other boys were realised while his son was sentenced to death.
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