The governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke has extended pardon to 53 convicts, including two death row inmates – Segun Olowokere and Sunday Morakinyo- whose story sparked outrage on the social media a couple of weeks back.
Olowokere and Morakinyo were sentenced to death by the Osun State High Court in December 2014 for fowl thievery, armed robbery and injuring the poultry owner.
Mr Adeleke announced in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Thursday his decision to show mercy to the 53 inmates, some of whom had their sentences commuted to lesser penalties.
Adeleke’s post in part read: “In the case of the following 6 (Six) Convicts sentenced to death, I have approved the commutation of their sentence from death to outright release while OJEKUNLE TIMOTHY has his sentence commuted from death sentence to 15 (Fifteen) years imprisonment having spent at least 10 (ten) years in custody.
1 OLUWAFEMI FAGBEMI
2 BEWAJI SUNDAY
- AMEHIN GEORGE
- AYOMIDE ARULOGUN
- TAIWO OLUWATOBI STEPHEN
- ABUBAKAR ABDULAZEEZ
The following 4 (Four) Convicts also have their sentences commuted from death sentence to outright pardon. - SUNDAY MORAKINYO
- SEGUN OLOWOOKERE
- TUNDE OLAPADE
- DEMOLA ODEYEMI
Recall that following social media buzz about the case of the stolen fowl by Olowookere and his friend, Governor Adeleke ordered the state’s attorney general to look into the case of the two convicts for possible pardon in line with the law.
Pardon
Mr Ademola stated Thursday that he extended prerogative of mercy to the two death row inmates and 51 others “in line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and 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 53 convicts serving various convictions within the Nigerian Correctional Service,” he added.
Of the 53 beneficiaries of the governor’s prerogative of mercy, one convict had his sentence commuted from death to 15 years imprisonment.
A group of four inmates including Mr Olowookere and Mr Morakinyo had their sentences commuted from death to outright release based on good conduct.
The prerogative of mercy refers to the power to grant clemency to convicted individuals in certain circumstances. In Nigeria, it’s a constitutional power held by the President for federal offences and by the state’s governor for state offences.
This power tempers the rigidity of the law and is only exercised in rare and exceptional circumstances. It’s not a general avenue of appeal, and it does not acquit the individual. Instead, it relieves the effects of a conviction without removing them.
The full list of beneficiaries of Governor Ademola’s prerogative of mercy was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
Leave a Reply