Debunked: Osun Court Denies Alleged Death Penalty Over Fowl Theft
The Osun State High Court has refuted claims that it sentenced an individual to death solely for stealing a fowl. In a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight,” Chief Registrar F.I. Omisade clarified that the case involved multiple armed robberies, not just the theft of a fowl.
The court detailed that in April 2010, Segun Olowookere and his accomplice, Morakinyo Sunday, were arrested for a series of armed robberies, including an incident at a poultry farm in Oyan, Osun State. Weapons were recovered from them, and they confessed to their crimes.
Following a trial from February 2013 to December 2014, both were convicted of armed robbery, which, under Nigerian law, carries a mandatory death sentence when a lethal weapon is involved.
The court also addressed misinformation regarding the ages of the convicts, stating that Olowookere was 19 years old at the time of his arrest, not a minor as some reports suggested. Additionally, the trial judge recommended them for clemency, reflecting a humane approach within the confines of the law.
In response to public outcry and appeals from human rights activists, Governor Ademola Adeleke has pardoned Segun Olowookere.