Parents of Segun Olowookere, an inmate who was convicted to death and currently in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison have pleaded with Governor Ademola Adeleke to grant their son amnesty ahead of his second year anniversary in office.
Olowookere was sentenced to death by Justice Falola of an Osun State High Court, sitting in Ikirun for robbing a poultry farm in Oyan, Odo-otin local government where he was said to have stole a fowl and eggs.
But fifteen years later his conviction, Olowookere who was arrested at the age of 17 is still languishing in the prison with his appeal pending at the Court of Appeal in Akure Court, Ondo State.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, Segun’s mother, Mrs Folashade Olowookere call on the governor to revisit the case and use his good office in granting amnesty to her son.
The mother who spoke in a laden voice noted that Segun is their only son and they cannot afford to continue wasting within the four wall of the prison, saying the crime her son did not committed the offence he was convicted for.
“I want to plead with our amiable governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke to please use his office to release my son. We have sold our properties to secure his release since he was convicted in 2014. He is a brilliant chap who have a brighter future ahead of him. We must not allow him to waste the peak of his life within the four wall of the prison.
“The speaker of the House of Assembly is from our town, we also plead for his intervention on this case. Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice should also help us. Segun has a promising future and can be useful to the society,” the mother pleaded.
Also, Segun’s father, Mr Olanrewaju Olowookere asserted that his son has never involved in any crime before he was arrested in 2010 on the accusation of stealing fowls and eggs from a relative poultry.
The father claimed that his son was arrested in his shop while playing with some of his friend, saying the arrest was a setup.
He said: At this point, all we need is the assistance of His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke to grant amnesty to our son. We are always in grief since he was sentenced. We have not experience any kind of happiness. Nobody will be happy seeing his only son to rot in jail.
“Meanwhile, his case was a kind of frame up. He never gone out on the day of his arrest in 2010. He was with me at my shop in Oyan playing with some of his friends until the police came to arrest him. We don’t know what his offence was. Also, the poultry they claimed he robbed belongs to one of our relatives. The owner even denied it in open court that Segun was not involved.
“The governor should please help us with his power. We have spent fortunes, sold properties on this case. But proved futile. As the governor prepares for his second year anniversary in office, we want him to set our son free. He can be useful to the society.
Olowookere according to his parents has finished his first degree at the National Open University (NOUN) while in prison.
OSUN DEFENDER in its September 13, 2024 reports that about 86 convicts from Osun state are in dire and unbearable conditions as a result of overcrowding in the death row section of the Nigeria Correctional Centre, especially in Lagos and Ogun States.
The medium learnt that the convicts are presently in Ibara Custodial Centre, Abeokuta and Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison. This, according to findings, is due to the unavailability of a Board of Mercy yet to be constituted by Governor Ademola Adeleke in place.
In the meantime, a faith-based nongovernmental organisation, the Centre for Justice, Mercy, and Reconciliation (CJMR), has asked Governor Adeleke to establish the Board of Mercy to see to the needs of prisoners, especially in relation to granting amnesty to inmates on death row.
CJMR, in a letter signed by its Executive Director, Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, stated that “It has come to our notice that throughout the previous administration in Osun State, there was no Board of Mercy; as a result, the state governor has not been granting amnesty to inmates on death row in Osun State, in contravention of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
“We would like to humbly draw your attention to Sections 175 and 212 of the Constitution of the Nigerian Constitution, which empower the state governor to grant amnesty to convicts, both those serving imprisonment and those on death row. It is concerning that this constitutional provision has not been fully implemented in Osun State for nearly six years.
“Furthermore, we wish to highlight the dire and unbearable conditions of overcrowding in the death row section of the Correctional Centre. Presently, in Ibara Custodial Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, there are 85 people on death row who are convicts from Osun State.
“We believe that some of these inmates could be transferred to the general convict section, thereby reducing the overcrowding in the death row section. Additionally, we urge that those who meet the criteria for total freedom under the Constitution be considered for release.
“We respectfully request that Your Excellency looks into this appeal and take the appropriate steps to constitute the Board of Mercy in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and take the necessary actions to address the issues raised,” CJMR stated.
