The Osun State Judiciary has come forward to clarify the matter, refuting claims that Segun Olowookere and Sunday Morakinyo, who were reportedly sentenced to death by hanging for fowl theft.
According to the judiciary, both individuals were actually sentenced to death for robbery, not theft, debunking the viral reports that have recently circulated on social media and news outlets across the country.
The judiciary criticised those responsible for the misleading claims, accusing them of intellectual bankruptcy.
The controversy erupted when the parents of Segun Olowookere, in a podcast interview, claimed their son had been sentenced to death for stealing a chicken/fowl. This prompted Governor Ademola Adeleke to initiate an investigation into the case, with plans to secure the release of the convicted individual from prison.
In a statement issued by the Judiciary, signed by the Registrar, F.I. Omisade, on December 20, 2024, it was emphasised that “An educated person does not need to be a lawyer to understand that someone cannot be sentenced to death for stealing a fowl—nor for stealing even one billion naira—unless they were armed during the commission of the crime.”
“A person charged with armed robbery is mandatorily sentenced by the trial judge to death by hanging once the defendant or accused person is proved and adjudged to be armed with a lethal weapon at the time of committing the offence.”
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He noted that Segun and Sunday were going about Oyan town and its neighbourhood robbing innocent and unsuspecting people at gunpoint, disclosing that “luck ran out on them in April 2010 when they were caught in action while robbing poultry. Arms were recovered from them. They also confessed to committing several armed robberies.”
He stated that they were found guilty as the judge imposed the death sentence mandatorily prescribed by law.
Omisade also debunked claims that the boys were underage when they were tried before the court, noting that the confessional statements of the two convicts reflected that they were 19 and 18 years of age when they committed the crime.
“It is, therefore, a desperate design to whip up undeserved sentiment. The entire scenario woven around this case has been skewed to malign the personality of the trial judge and denigrate the Osun State High Court as an institution.
“The trial judge, in His Lordship’s characteristic magnanimity, large heart, and fatherly disposition, did what the law prescribed and went further to recommend them for the mercy of the Governor.”
