Nigerians were shocked on Tuesday as social media became flooded with reports about Segun Olowookere, an only child, who was sentenced to death in Osun State for stealing a fowl.
Different versions of the story emerged, leaving many questioning why the convict received such a severe punishment for what seemed to be a relatively minor offense.
Olowookere had been detained since 2010, and it was revealed that the complainant in the case was a family member of the convict.
He was arrested at the age of 17, shortly after committing the crime.
In an interview with PUNCH, Olowookere shared the details surrounding his conviction.
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Olowookere was arrested alongside another individual, Sunday Morakinyo, in Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, in November 2010.
The two were accused of robbing a policeman, Tope Balogun, who was attached to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Okuku, of two fowls and eggs.
On January 30, 2013, the police brought them before Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court in Ikirun, charging them with robbery and theft.
The prosecution claimed that Olowookere and Morakinyo had conspired in November 2010 to rob Oguntade Faramade of his fowls and eggs, valued at N20,000.
They were also accused of stealing two mobile phones from Balogun Taye and attempting to rob another individual, Alhaja Umani Oyewo, in her home.
Additionally, the charges included an armed robbery attempt on Elizabeth Dare, during which the convicts were allegedly armed with cutlasses and a Dane gun to steal a gallon of vegetable oil.
Both Olowookere and Morakinyo pleaded not guilty to the charges, but Olowookere later made a confessional statement to the police, admitting to his involvement in the crimes.
The state prosecutor, Biola Adewemimo, called six witnesses, including Alhaja Oyewo, Elizabeth Dare, Oguntade Faramade, and three policemen, who testified against the two men.
Olowookere’s defense attorney, Ayo Omolesho, argued that he was innocent, claiming that he had not been arrested at the crime scene and that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Despite the defense’s argument, Justice Falola convicted both Olowookere and Morakinyo.
On December 17, 2014, Olowookere was sentenced to death for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, life imprisonment for robbery, and a three-year sentence for theft. By the time of the ruling, Olowookere was 21 years old.
However, Justice Falola recommended that the state governor could consider commuting the death sentence to a 10-year prison term, taking into account the young age of the convicts.
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PUNCH conducted an interview with Olowookere, who is currently on death row in one of the country’s custodial centers.
He explained that he believed the police would have released him if his parents had been able to raise the N30,000 required for his bail.
Olowookere reflected on the chain of events that led to his death sentence, stating that he had voluntarily surrendered to the police when they came searching for him in April 2010.
He said, “I was at my father’s shop in Oyan after returning from school. My dad and I were discussing my university admission and suddenly, we heard gunshots, and everybody ran away except my dad and a few others.
“My father was taken to a police van where there were some children. I was peeping out and could hear and see what was going on. The police asked my dad where I was and he asked them what my offence was. When they couldn’t give him a satisfactory response, my father shouted at the top of his voice that I should run away because the police wanted to arrest me.
“But I was wondering what my offence was. So, I came out and went to meet them. I was detained at the police post in Oyan, and was taken to Okuku Divisional Police Headquarters the following day. I met the children who were in the police van when they came for me sitting on the ground and eating rice.”
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He explained that upon arriving at the station, the DPO asked the children if he was Segun Olowookere, to which they confirmed.
He went on to say that the DPO informed him that one of the children who had been arrested had identified him as the leader of their gang.
He said, “The DPO told me that one of the children confessed to stealing two broilers and some crates of eggs. I met the broilers and the eggs at the station.
The children were eight in number. He told me the children said I was their gang leader, which I denied.
“The children he was talking about were around 12 and 13 years old, while I was 17 then. I told him I knew the children but I didn’t have anything to do with them other than greeting them in the community.”
Olowookere explained that he was tortured after his denial, noting that another suspect, Morakinyo, whom he met at the station with the children, also suffered the same fate.
“I met Sunday Morakinyo at the station and he told the police that he didn’t know me, nor had anything to do with me. I don’t even know where he was arrested. All the children were released but Morakinyo and I were not.
“We were seriously tortured from the first day I got to the Okuku Police Station under the supervision of the DPO. The children who allegedly committed the crime were not beaten. He repeatedly asked me to admit and confess to a crime I didn’t commit.
“After some days, we were given cutlasses to cut the grass at the police station premises despite having injuries on every part of our body as a result of the torture.”
According to Olowookere, the police wanted to release him on bail on the condition that his father would pay N30,000, which he did not have.
“My father could only raise N20,000 out of the N30,000 they demanded. The police rejected it and insisted on the N30,000.
“My dad left the station to look for the money. But before he returned the following day, we had been moved to the SARS office in Osogbo. The cutlasses that were given to me and Morakinyo to cut the grass were presented to SARS as exhibits and they were told we were armed robbers.
“After 17 days in the SARS cell, we were taken to a magistrate’s court and charged with robbery, and from there to the High Court, where we were sentenced to death,” he added.
According to him, the poultry farm where the broilers were reportedly stolen from belonged to his uncle.
“We are from the same Ajerotutu compound in Oyan. He was summoned to a family meeting where he said I was not among those who stole the fowls, but my name was mentioned by the children who were arrested.
“He told the family that he would discontinue the case. But he later came to court to testify against me,” the inmate narrated.
Olowookere denied making any statement to the police. He also refuted the claim that he was residing in a six-bedroom apartment at the time of the crime, clarifying that he never lived alone and was, in fact, staying with his parents when the police arrested him.
“I never wrote any statement to the police. My parents never had a flat, not to mention a six-bedroom flat. I lived with my parents until I was arrested,” he stated.
Asked why his lawyer didn’t object to the statement during the trial, Olowookere said, “I didn’t know anything, but I am sure I didn’t write any statement.”
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The defendant asserted that the second convict, Morakinyo, had developed a mental illness while in detention.
Olowookere stated that the convict experienced bleeding from multiple parts of his body as a result of torture by the police.
“He is now a mad person. He is at Ibara prison. He developed mental issues when we were tortured at the police station in Okuku and by the officers of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad. I am just lucky, and I believe God’s grace is over me.
“Morakinyo was bleeding from the anus, ears, nose, and on the head. The police did not treat him despite that. I cleaned the cell every day because his blood stained the floor. He was bleeding for the entire six days we spent inside the Okuku police cell before we were transferred to the SARS cell in Osogbo.
“We spent 17 days with SARS and Morakinyo bled every day. Some of the SARS officers noticed that he was not mentally normal again but others thought he was pretending, and from there, he developed full mental issues.
“When we were remanded at Ilesa Custodial Centre, the warders tried to manage his mental health but they didn’t have the capacity. His condition then worsened. As I am talking to you, he doesn’t recognise anybody again. His mother has stopped checking up on him.”
The inmate shared that his dream is to become a doctor and contribute positively to society.
He explained that, unable to afford a medical course at the National Open University, he began collaborating with medical staff at his custodial centre to gain practical experience.
The convict stated, “I first enrolled in Yewa College of Education, Abeokuta, Ogun State, after my sentence. It is my dream to study medicine, but it is not available at a college of education. I was later transferred to a maximum prison in 2016. But due to financial constraints, I couldn’t study my dream course.
“However, I was encouraged to train under the medical practitioners in the prison. So, I applied and I was accepted into the medical line in 2017. Since then, I have been working with the nurses, pharmacists, and doctors inside the prison.
“I believe I will be free one day, and when I regain my freedom, I will definitely go for medicine. I pray to God to set me free because I am innocent. I don’t know anything about the crime I am convicted for. I pray to God to give me the opportunity to prove my innocence to the world, and be useful to society. I am not a criminal; I have never stolen anything in my life, not to talk of robbing somebody.”
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