Osun
State
Governor
Ademola
Adeleke
is
scheduled
to
pardon
Segun
Olowookere,
a
Nigerian
who
has
been
on
death
row
for
more
than
ten
years
for
stealing
eggs
and
hens.
Olowookere
and
his
accomplice,
Morakinyo
Sunday,
were
arrested
in
2010
when
they
were
just
17
years
old.
They
were
charged
with
using
a
sword
and
an
antiquated
wooden
gun
to
attack
the
residences
of
a
police
officer
and
another
person.
Even
though
the
raid
was
dramatic,
they
only
made
their
getaway
with
a
few
hens.
They
were
found
guilty
by
Osun
State
High
Court
Justice
Jide
Falola
in
2014
of
breaking
into
the
police
officer’s
home
with
force
and
taking
his
possessions.
Both
received
hanging
sentences,
which
infuriated
Nigerians,
who
criticized
the
sentencing
as
being
unduly
severe
for
the
offence.
Later,
the
two
were
moved
to
the
infamous
Kirikiri
Maximum
Security
Prison
in
Lagos
State,
where
they
had
been
on
death
row
for
years.
In
an
interview
with
Biola
Adebayo,
Olowookere’s
parents
revealed
that
their
son
was
falsely
detained
in
2010
for
a
crime
he
had
not
committed.
They
clarified
that
when
police
officers
visited
their
house,
they
unintentionally
connected
Segun
to
the
theft
of
eggs
and
a
chicken,
which
was
not
a
crime
in
which
he
was
involved.
According
to
Segun’s
father,
Olanrewaju,
he
was
only
able
to
raise
N20,000,
which
was
turned
down
when
the
police
asked
N30,000
for
his
son’s
release.
According
to
his
parents,
Segun
was
falsely
charged,
had
no
knowledge
of
the
theft,
and
didn’t
even
eat
chicken.
Olowookere’s
parents,
human
rights
groups,
and
concerned
Nigerians
have
spearheaded
the
unrelenting
campaign
for
his
release.
On
a
well-known
podcast,
his
parents
recently
made
a
heartfelt
appeal
for
their
son’s
freedom.
The
Commissioner
for
Justice
was
instructed
to
start
the
process
of
giving
Olowookere
a
prerogative
of
compassion
by
Governor
Adeleke,
who
eventually
reacted
on
Tuesday.
“Osun
is
a
land
of
justice
and
equity.
We
must
ensure
fairness
and
protect
the
sanctity
of
lives,”
the
governor
wrote
on
X.