Segun Olowookere: Nigerian man sentenced to loss of life in Osun state promised pardon

A Nigerian man who has spent 10 years on loss of life row for stealing some hens and eggs has been promised a pardon by the governor of the south-western Osun state.

Segun Olowookere was 17 years outdated in 2010 when he was arrested alongside along with his confederate, Morakinyo Sunday.

They had been stated to have attacked the house of a police officer and one other particular person with an old school wood gun and a sword however solely bought away with the poultry.

In 2014, Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State Excessive Court docket sentenced the 2 to loss of life by hanging after discovering them responsible of forcefully breaking into the police officer’s home and stealing his belongings.

There was an outcry throughout Nigeria on the time as many felt the sentence was too harsh.

The duo had been subsequently moved to the infamous Kirikiri most safety jail in Lagos state the place they have been within the loss of life row wing.

In an announcement on Tuesday, governor Ademola Adeleke directed that Olowookere needs to be pardoned because it was essential to guard the sanctity of life.

“I’ve directed the Commissioner for Justice to provoke processes to grant prerogative of mercy to the younger man.

“Osun is a land of justice and fairness. We should guarantee equity and safety of the sanctity of lives,” the governor posted on X.

The destiny of Morakinyo Sunday, who was sentenced alongside Olowookere, is unclear as his identify wasn’t talked about within the assertion.

For years, Olowookere’s dad and mom, human rights teams and different Nigerians have fought for his launch.

His dad and mom had been not too long ago on a podcast the place they cried and begged for his or her solely youngster to be pardoned.

He’s anticipated to be freed early in 2025.

Nigeria has not carried out an execution since 2012 however there are at the moment greater than 3,400 folks on loss of life row.