Kehinde Fajobi
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has granted a pardon to Segun Olowookere, popularly known as the “death-for-fowl” convict, along with his co-convict, Sunday Morakinyo, and 51 other inmates.
Olowookere, arrested at age 17 in November 2010, was sentenced to death in December 2014 by an Osun State High Court for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, and stealing.
His case gained public attention after his mother pleaded for intervention on a podcast, sparking widespread reactions on social media.
In a statement on Thursday, Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, announced the governor’s decision, which was based on recommendations from the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
The statement read, “In line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, Governor Ademola Adeleke has exercised the prerogative of mercy towards 53 convicts serving various convictions within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“Now know ye therefore that, I, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the Governor of Osun State of Nigeria, 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), I am pleased to extend my grace and mercy unto the said inmates.
“Convicts recommended for outright pardon for good conduct (capital offences) are: Sunday Morakinyo, Segun Olowookere, Tunde Olapade, and Demola Odeyemi.”
Last week, Adeleke directed the state’s attorney general to investigate Olowookere’s case and initiate processes for granting a prerogative of mercy.