The parents of Segun Olowookere, a young man who was arrested at the age of 17 in 2010 for allegedly stealing a chicken and eggs in Osun State, recently shared their journey and ongoing hope for justice after a decade of legal struggles.
In an interview on the Talk To B show, hosted by actress Abiola Adebayo and aired on Tuesday, Olowookere Olarenwaju and his wife, Folashade, recounted the series of events that led to the conviction of Segun, their only child, and the hardships they have faced since then.
Mr Olowookere explained that their challenges began in 2008 when a cleric from Kwara State warned the family that their son would encounter significant difficulties in the future.
“The cleric said there is a generational curse on the child that will be a tough battle, but if God spares his life, that will be the only fight he will face in life. We kept praying,” Segun’s father recalled.
Recalling Segun’s arrest two years later, the father said, “I was at my shop, renting out and selling video CDs, when the police arrived around 11 am that day. They fired shots into the air, and we all ran away.”
He explained that the police managed to apprehend one boy who later informed him that he had seen some of Segun’s schoolmates in the police van. These schoolmates told the officers that the boy apprehended was not Segun, leading to his release.
The father added that this boy revealed that the schoolmates were being accused of stealing a chicken and eggs.
Olowookere then urged his son to flee, wanting to protect him from involvement in any police case. He said, “I warned my son about the incident, but he insisted they couldn’t be looking for him. He doesn’t even eat chicken because I run a poultry farm. He adamantly refused to run away because he believed he was innocent.”
“The policemen returned around 9 pm that same day, and someone told Segun about their return and urged him to escape. He didn’t run until the police took him away. I later discovered that the owner of the chicken was a member of my extended family.”
After being taken to the police station, Olowookere recounted that the Divisional Police Officer demanded N30,000 to release Segun.
“When I arrived at the station, the DPO told me to bring N30,000 if I didn’t want my child to go to jail. There were about seven other arrested children, so I was perplexed as to why they demanded N30,000 solely from my son, but the DPO insisted.”
Despite managing to bring N20,000, Olowookere reported that the DPO refused to accept anything less than the full amount, showing no signs of mercy.
“I pleaded with him to accept the money, but he reiterated that it must be N30,000, insisting that I should go and find the rest. He said he had no children and no reason to be compassionate,” he said.
Desperate for assistance, Olowookere sought help from politicians, but the situation worsened.
“I decided to involve politicians,” he explained. “I approached one of the brothers of the then-governor, Oyinlola. The brother sent someone to the DPO to secure Segun’s release, but the DPO said I reported him to someone, which would not prevent him from demanding the money. He ominously warned that my son would end up in jail.”
“Within five minutes, he brought out my son and the others,” he recalled. “He also displayed the cutlasses discovered at the homes of the boys’ parents, having searched our houses. One boy’s father was a hunter, and they displayed his gun too. The DPO laid out the weapons in front of the boys and took their photographs with them.”
“He told me to say goodbye to my son,” Olowookere said, fighting back tears. “I broke down and wept. He warned me not to come near, saying he didn’t accept apologies. That was how they took the children away.”
“They transported them to Osogbo; once there, we had to hire a lawyer. The others were taken to welfare, but only my son was taken to Ilesa.”
Olowookere shared that although Segun was born in 1993 and was just 17 at the time of the incident, the DPO argued that since Segun had completed secondary school, he should not be considered a minor.
The officer even claimed that Segun was older, insisting he was an undergraduate, despite the fact that Segun was merely 15 days away from starting university when the incident occurred.
He lamented that about six months later, the other children involved were released, leaving only Segun in detention.
In an effort to resolve the matter, he approached his relative, the owner of the chicken and eggs, offering to compensate him for the theft.
However, his relative insisted that Segun was not involved in the theft and told him to leave.
“I consulted our family elders, who also reached out to him, but he maintained that my son was not among the thieves,” Olowookere added.
This prompted Segun’s father to approach his relative, the complainant, alongside another family elder, in an effort to persuade him to forgive Segun, especially since he was the sole remaining witness in the case.
They reportedly pleaded with him to announce that he no longer wished to pursue the case; however, the relative reacted with anger, accusing them of attempted lecturing.
He later testified in court, alleging that Segun was the leader of the thieves, which led to the imposition of a death sentence.
Olowookere recalled, “On that day in court, I saw my brother and the policeman who made the arrest. The policeman was the first to speak, stating that Segun Olowookere was not involved with the thieves. We all felt a surge of hope that my son might be freed that day.
“When it was my brother’s turn to testify, he declared my son to be the leader of the thieves.
“Eventually, the judge sentenced my son to death. That was how I left the court in tears.
“People asked if he was a murderer; if he wasn’t, then why was he sentenced to death? We didn’t see anyone with injuries, not even a gunshot wound or any signs of physical assault. People were astonished.”
Tearfully recounting the day of the sentencing, Olowookere added, “I cried, and my son said, ‘Daddy, don’t cry.’
“He told me that if he was truly innocent, he wouldn’t be executed, but only guilty people would face such a fate. He reassured me to be at peace because he believed he wouldn’t be killed. I couldn’t bring myself to tell his mother when I returned home. From the High Court, where the judgement was delivered, he was taken to Abeokuta.
“The judge mentioned that the governor of the state could grant my son a pardon after ten years if he chose to do so. Since then, we have been praying about it.”
During the interview, Segun’s mother, Folashade, shared that in the years that followed, Segun was transferred to various prisons, including Kiri Kiri Prison in Lagos State. There, he managed to pursue his education despite the challenging conditions.
She said, “When he first arrived at Kiri Kiri, he started selling food to raise money for his education because he had achieved good results. He was trying to save up to prepare for school.
“I asked if it was possible for him to study there; he confirmed that it was. He would call us whenever he needed anything for his food business and his education. I visited the prison and saw that there was a school.
“He even called us for his graduation, but knowing we couldn’t afford to attend, my younger siblings in Lagos went on our behalf. He studied a medical course while in prison.”
She also spoke of the emotional toll it had taken, saying, “We have sought help from everyone possible, yet each time it feels like hope dims. My son’s situation has made me hypertensive.
“Since this ordeal began, I have never experienced a joyful festival season. I am without money or work; any funds we have are spent on addressing this issue. I don’t want to perish in this manner; I plead for mercy and assistance.
“People keep asking what can be done, but we are at a loss. We are exhausted at this point, but if God has a purpose for his life, which has spared him until now, He will find a way to bring him out.”
Segun’s father clarified that out of the seven who were sentenced, only two had faced the courts, the other boy having mental health issues.
“I thought his parents would have come to retrieve him because they were told to do so when the mental issues began,” he said.
In response to the widespread concern surrounding this case, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has instructed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, aiming to secure clemency for Segun.
This prompted Segun’s father to approach his relative, the complainant, along with another family elder, to encourage him to forgive Segun, especially since he was the only one left in the case.
They reportedly begged him to state that he was no longer interested in pursuing the case; however, the relative reacted angrily, accusing him of trying to lecture him.
He added that the relative later came to testify in court, claiming that Segun was the leader of the thieves, leading to his death sentence.
Olowookere recalled, “On the said day at court, I saw my brother and the policeman who made the arrest. The policeman was the first to speak, and he said Segun Olowookere is not among the thieves. We were all excited that my son would be free that day.
“When it was my brother’s turn to speak, he said my son is the leader of the thieves.
“Eventually, the judge sentenced my son to death. That was how I left the court in tears.
“People asked if he was a murderer; if not, why sentenced to death? We didn’t see anyone with an injury, not even a gunshot or sign of physical assault. People were surprised.”
Tearfully recounting the day of the sentencing, Oloowokere added, “I cried, and my son said, ‘My daddy, don’t cry.”
“He said if he’s truly innocent, he won’t be killed, but he will only be killed if he’s not innocent. He said I should be at peace that he won’t be killed. I couldn’t tell his mum when I got home. From the High Court, where the judgement was made, he was taken to Abeokuta.
“The judge also said that the governor of the state has the right to pardon my son after ten years if he chooses to do so. We’ve been praying about it since then.”
Speaking during the interview, Segun’s mother, Folashade, stated that in the years that followed, Segun was transferred to different prisons, including the Kiri Kiri Prison in Lagos State, where he managed to further his education despite the harsh conditions.
She said, “When he got to Kiri Kiri at first, he was selling food so he could have money to sponsor his education because he had a good result. So, he was trying to gather money to prepare for the school.
“I asked if it was possible there; he said yes. So, he calls us when he needs anything for the food he was selling and his education. I’ve visited the place, and I saw that there’s a school there.
“He even called us for his graduation, but he knew we didn’t have money, so we couldn’t attend his graduation. My younger siblings in Lagos attended on our behalf. He studied a medical course in prison.”
She also spoke of the emotional toll, saying, “We have been to every possible person for help, but each time it seemed like hope faded. My son’s situation has made me hypertensive.
“Since the beginning of this issue, I have never had a joyful festival season. I have no money, no business; the money is usually spent on this. I don’t want to die this way; have mercy and help me.
“People keep asking us what can be done, but we don’t know. We are even tired at this point, but if God has a purpose for his life that didn’t kill him till now, he will bring him out.”
Segun’s father also clarified that there were two out of the seven who were sentenced, but the other boy had some mental issues.
“I even thought his parents would have gone to pick him up because they asked them to come pick him up when the mental issue started,” he said.
In response to the widespread outcry over the issue, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has directed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to launch a full investigation into the case, with the aim of granting Segun clemency.
