Governor shows mercy to two inmates sentenced to death for fowl theft, 51 others

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Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has extended the prerogative of mercy to 53 convicts, including two death row inmates whose case recently sparked widespread interest on social media.

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Segun Olowokere and Sunday Morakinyo were sentenced to death by the Osun State High Court in December 2014 for stealing a fowl and armed robbery.

Mr Adeleke announced in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Thursday his decision to show mercy to the 53 inmates, some of whom had their sentences commuted to lesser penalties.

Messrs Olowookere and Morakinyo are among four death row inmates pardoned by the governor for outright release for good conduct.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported on the Osun State juidiciary’s response to social media criticism of the state’s High Court over the death penalty it imposed a decade ago on the two individuals convicted of fowl theft. In a statement on Tuesday, the state judiciary justified the sentence and conviction.

Following social media buzz about the case, Governor Adeleke ordered the state’s attorney general to look into the case of the two convicts for possible pardon in line with the law.

Pardon

Mr Ademola stated Thursday that he extended prerogative of mercy to the two death row inmates and 51 others “in line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and in exercise of the power conferred on me by paragraph (a), (c) and (d) of subsection (i) of section 212 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

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“I am pleased to extend my grace and mercy unto 53 convicts serving various convictions within the Nigerian Correctional Service,” he added.

Of the 53 beneficiaries of the governor’s prerogative of mercy, one convict had his sentence commuted from death to 15 years imprisonment.

Another six convicts had their sentences commuted from death to outright release on health grounds.

A group of four inmates including Mr Olowookere and Mr Morakinyo had their sentences commuted from death to outright release based on good conduct.

The prerogative of mercy refers to the power to grant clemency to convicted individuals in certain circumstances. In Nigeria, it’s a constitutional power held by the President for federal offences and by the state’s governor for state offences.

This power tempers the rigidity of the law and is only exercised in rare and exceptional circumstances. It’s not a general avenue of appeal, and it does not acquit the individual. Instead, it relieves the effects of a conviction without removing them.

Full list of beneficiaries of Governor Ademola’s prerogative of mercy

The full list of beneficiaries of Governor Ademola’s prerogative of mercy contained in a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, is as follows:

CONVICTS RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT PARDON (SIMPLE OFFENCES)

1. OLABOMIJI NURUDEEN

2. MUSTAPHA ISAH

3. OLALEKAN ABDULLAHI

4. AYOMIDE OLOJEDE

5. AKEEM RAPHAEL

6. ADEYEMI ABIODUN

7. OLADIPUPO SEGUN

8. OMISAKIN SUNDAY

9. ADEMOLA ADIO

10. TUNDE OLAPADE

11. LATE CHIEF WOLE OLA

RUFUS OJO

12. OMOLOYE OLAJIDE

OLAYEMI

CONVICTS RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT RELEASE (SIMPLE OFFENCES)

1. OLUBO SUNDAY

2. ISAH UMAR BIODUN

3. FAWAS KAREEM

4. OMIRIN TEMITAYO

5. OLARENWAJU AYOMIDE

6. DARE SUNDAY

7. OLADAPO TUNDE

8. GANIYU SAHEED

9. ADEWUMI SODIQ

10. ADEBAYO ADEOYE

KEHINDE

11. LASIS KAZEEM

12. DAUDA OJO (59 YEARS)

13. ISMAILA RAJI

14. OSENI MICHEAL

15. AJAYI KOREDE

16. ABIONA NURUDEEN

17. OSHI SAMUEL

18. SHEU YUSUF OLATUNJI

19. OJO AANU

20. MUSTAPHA KEHINDE

21. LASIS ABEEB

22. ALEXANDRA IORLAHA

23. OJO TAIWO

24. AZEEZ MUJEEB

25. AKINYEMI DAVID

26. ADEOSUN ADEKUNLE

27. OLAOBAJU SAMUEL

28. ADURA ADEFEMI

29. PAUL BASIL

30. KUNLE DAVID

CONVICT RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT PARDON FOR GOOD CONDUCT (CAPITAL OFFENCES) – 4 (FOUR)

1. SUNDAY MORAKINYO

2. SEGUN OLOWOOKERE

3. TUNDE OLAPADE

4. DEMOLA ODEYEMI

CONVICT RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT RELEASE ON HEALTH GROUND, (CAPITAL OFFENCES)

1 OLUWAFEMI FAGBEMI

2 BEWAJI SUNDAY

3. AMEHIN GEORGE

4. AYOMIDE ARULOGUN

5. TAIWO OLUWATOBI STEPHEN

6. ABUBAKAR ABDULAZEEZ

CONVICT RECOMMENDED TO BE COMMUTED FROM DEATH TO 15 YEARS IMPRISONMENT HAVING SPENT AT LEAST 10 YEARS IN CUSTODY

1. OJEKUNLE TIMOTHY