Segun Olowookere, the only child of his parents who was sentenced to death in Osun State for allegedly stealing a fowl, has claimed that he was arrested at the age of 17 and sentenced to death over the allegation of stealing a fowl he never committed.
In an exclusive interview published by the Punch Newspaper on Sunday, Olowookere vehemently denied the allegations leveled against him.
Olowookere explained the actual circumstances of his sentencing to the Punch Newspaper, saying he was arrested alongside another convict, Sunday Morakinyo, in Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government of Osun State, in November 2010.
They were accused of robbing a policeman attached to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Okuku, Tope Balogun, of two fowls and eggs.
As insinuated that he confessed to the crime; Olowookere denied making any confessional statement to the police.
He also dismissed the report that he was living in a six-bedroom apartment when the crime was committed, stating that he never lived alone as he was living with his parents when he was arrested by the police.
“I never wrote any statement to the police. My parents never had a flat, not to mention a six-bedroom flat. I lived with my parents until I was arrested,” he stated.
On January 30, 2013, the police arraigned them before Justice Jide Falola of the state High Court in Ikirun for robbery and stealing.
Both Olowookere and Morakinyo pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Despite pleading not guilty, Justice Falola convicted and sentenced Olowookere and Morakinyo to death (for conspiracy to commit armed robbery), life imprisonment (for robbery), and three years imprisonment (for stealing) on December 17, 2014.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, according to a post on his X account, has directed the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, to initiate processes to grant Olowookere pardon.
Adeleke, on Tuesday, wrote, “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 a 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 attached to our response to the matter.”
Unfortunately, according to Olowookere, the second convict, Morakinyo, suffered mental illness while in detention.
Olowookere said the convict bled from different parts of his body after both of them were tortured by the police.
“Morakinyo is now a mad person. He is at Ibara prison. He developed mental issues when we were tortured at the police station in Okuku and by the officers of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad. I am just lucky, and I believe God’s grace is over me.
“Morakinyo was bleeding from the anus, ears, nose, and head. The police did not treat him despite that. I cleaned the cell every day because his blood stained the floor. He was bleeding for the entire six days we spent inside the Okuku police cell before we were transferred to the SARS cell in Osogbo.
“We spent 17 days with SARS and Morakinyo bled every day. Some of the SARS officers noticed that he was not mentally normal again, but others thought he was pretending, and from there, he developed full mental issues.
“When we were remanded at Ilesa Custodial Centre, the warders tried to manage his mental health, but they didn’t have the capacity. His condition then worsened. As I am talking to you, he doesn’t recognize anybody again. His mother has stopped checking up on him.”
The inmate (Olowookere) said his dream is to become a doctor and be useful to society.
Leave a Reply