Dr Femi Olaleye has recounted that the young man, Segun Olowookere, was just 17 years old when he was arrested in 2010 for stealing chickens.
Olaleye said Olowookere was sentenced to death by hanging for conspiracy, life imprisonment for robbery, and three years for stealing.
According to Olaleye’s post on LinkedIn, he and his co-defendant, Morakinyo Sunday, stole chickens and committed other crimes.
He said he got to know about this when he first met Segun Olowookere at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos state.
The court jailed Olowookere and his co-defendant despite the relatively minor nature of their offenses.
The court, however, recommended that after serving 10 years in prison, the Osun state governor could grant them clemency.
The doctor lamented that the young man’s life had been destroyed by injustice, spending the majority of his life in prison.
Olaleye said the now 31-year-old man has spent 14 years in prison, a large portion of his adult life.
He said the death sentence is a stark reminder of how out of proportion the punishment is to the offense of minor crimes like stealing chickens.
“Segun’s case reflects the countless others who cannot afford this opportunity. He has spent years in prison with little hope of seeing the outside world again unless the state governor intervenes—an unlikely possibility given the historical lack of clemency in Osun.”
Adeleke moves to pardon Osun man sentenced to death
Legit earlier reported that Olowookere, who was sentenced to death by hanging for stealing fowl, may soon get a state pardon.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has made a move to pardon Olowookere after intervening in the case, which went viral on social media.
Adeleke ordered the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to commence a full investigation and initiate processes to grant the prerogative of mercy to the young man.
