Metro
Why I Was Sentenced To Death – Osun ‘boy’ convicted of fowl theft
Segun Olowookere, sentenced to death in Osun State for allegedly stealing fowls as a teenager, has shared his account of the events that led to his conviction.
Arrested in November 2010 at the age of 17 alongside Sunday Morakinyo, Olowookere was accused of robbing a policeman, Tope Balogun, of two fowls and eggs in Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
The pair was arraigned on January 30, 2013, before Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court in Ikirun.
The charges included robbery, conspiracy, and theft. Prosecutors alleged that they had also conspired to rob Oguntade Faramade of items worth N20,000, stolen two mobile phones from Balogun Taye, and attempted to rob Alhaja Umani Oyewo in her home. They were further accused of using weapons, including a cutlass and a Dane gun, to rob Elizabeth Dare of vegetable oil.
Despite his pleas of innocence, his ordeal worsened due to his family’s inability to raise the N30,000 bail demanded by the police.
While both men pleaded not guilty, the prosecution presented six witnesses, including alleged victims and police officers, who testified against them.
A confessional statement purportedly made by Olowookere to the police was pivotal to the case, though he denied ever writing it.
His lawyer, Ayo Omolesho, argued that the case lacked sufficient evidence, emphasizing that Olowookere was not apprehended at the crime scene.
Despite this, the court convicted them, sentencing them on December 17, 2014, to death for conspiracy, life imprisonment for robbery, and three years for theft. Olowookere was 21 at the time.
In a recent interview, Olowookere described his journey to incarceration, alleging police misconduct and coercion.
He recounted that in April 2010, while discussing his university admission plans with his father at their shop, police officers stormed the area and arrested him after an initial attempt to detain his father.
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.”
Olowookere claimed he was tortured into submission and falsely accused by minors who were also arrested but later released.
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.”
He denied knowing Morakinyo or participating in any criminal activities.
“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.”
He also refuted reports suggesting he had written a confessional statement or lived in a luxury apartment, asserting that he lived with his parents at the time of his arrest.
“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.”
Reacting to Olowookere’s case, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has directed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, to investigate the matter and explore options for a pardon. In a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Adeleke assured the public of his commitment to justice and equity.
“I have instructed a thorough review and expedited action on granting prerogative mercy to the young man. Osun is a land of fairness and justice, and we will ensure that every citizen’s rights are protected,” Adeleke said.
The case has sparked widespread concern, with many calling for a review of the judicial process that led to Olowookere’s conviction and sentencing.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has repatriated a Chinese national, Zhang Shijie, who was wanted in China over an alleged smuggling operation involving about 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.
Zhang, who had been wanted since 2021, was arrested by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, on September 10, 2026, in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
The police said the suspect was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Haikou Customs District in China in connection with the alleged smuggling of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, the Chinese authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Zhang on January 7, 2021.
The alleged offences, the police said, were committed between November 2020 and January 2021 and involved approximately 1,400 tonnes of the endangered tree species.
The consignment was valued at about 15.7 million Chinese yuan, according to the Chinese authorities cited by the police.
The Force said the arrest followed sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigative efforts by INTERPOL NCB Abuja.
“Following sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigative efforts, operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja arrested the fugitive on 10 September 2026 in the Ogere area of Ogun State,” the statement said.
The police disclosed that Zhang had remained outside China following the alleged offences and was subsequently traced to Nigeria, where he had been residing in Ogun State.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was reportedly in possession of a Chinese passport which had expired on November 11, 2023.
Following the arrest and completion of necessary procedures, the NPF said Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The Force said the repatriation was carried out under existing bilateral police cooperation arrangements between Nigeria and China.
The development underscores the role of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Nigeria in tracking and facilitating the return of foreign nationals wanted for alleged offences in their home countries.
It also highlights growing international cooperation in tackling the illegal exploitation and trafficking of endangered natural resources.
African rosewood, scientifically known as Pterocarpus erinaceus, is a valuable hardwood species that has faced intense exploitation and trafficking across West Africa.
The death toll resulting from the consumption of a suspected poisonous alcoholic beverage outbreak in parts of Ondo State has risen to 49, while the number of affected persons has also increased to 170.
Providing an update on the situation in Akure, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, noted that the new cases were recorded in Irele Local Government Area.
He said health authorities were intensifying surveillance, case management and contact tracing to contain the outbreak and identify the source of the poisonous substance.
Ajaka added that medical teams had been deployed to the affected communities to monitor the situation, manage cases and trace the source of the suspected poisonous substance.
He said the state government was also working with security and regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant agencies.
He disclosed that the matter was discussed at a national meeting involving commissioners for health across the country and officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, where Ondo State’s rapid response in surveillance, case management and tracking was commended.
Ajaka, in an earlier briefing, had disclosed that 29 people had died in connection with the suspected poisoning in Odigbo Local Government Area, with 121 persons affected at that stage.
According to him, the deaths in Odigbo were caused by locally produced alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal substances consumed during two naming ceremonies in the affected communities.
He noted that investigations showed that an individual who was not a member of one of the families hosting a naming ceremony procured the substance and brought it to the event for guests to consume.
The affected communities previously identified in Odigbo Local Government Area include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.
To end the fatalities, the state government has banned the production and sale of locally brewed alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal beverages in Odigbo Local Government Area as a precautionary measure.
The police have also arrested a suspect in Araromi-Obu in connection with the production and distribution of the substances, while further investigation is ongoing.
Metro
Tragedy Hits OAU: Final-Year Engineering Student Dies In Suspected Suicide At Off-Campus Apartment
The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) community has been plunged into deep mourning following the tragic death of Oluwole Oluwaseun, a final-year student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The incident, which occurred at an off-campus residence within the Damico Area, Ooni Layout, Ile-Ife, is currently under intense police investigation.
According to an official statement released by the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, the institution was alerted to an emergency involving the student at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
In a swift response, OAU’s Quick Response and Security (QRS) Team mobilized to the scene. They were immediately joined by officers from the Nigeria Police Force ‘A’ Division in Moore, Ile-Ife.
Oluwaseun was rushed to the University Health Centre, where he was tragically certified dead by a medical doctor on duty.
Deeply concerned by the circumstances surrounding the sudden demise, university authorities have handed over all recovered items and relevant information from the scene to the police to aid their investigation.
In the wake of the tragedy, Vice Chancellor Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire extended his heartfelt condolences to the family, classmates, and friends of the deceased. Professor Bamire strongly reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to student welfare, emphasizing that “no student should feel that he or she has to confront overwhelming difficulties alone.”
The university management has strictly urged the campus community to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified rumors or speculations while the police investigation is ongoing.
Furthermore, student affairs authorities have been activated to provide necessary follow-up care, welfare, and emotional support to students affected by the tragedy. The university is strongly encouraging anyone experiencing severe emotional distress, financial pressures, or personal challenges to immediately seek help from trusted individuals or the official counseling structures on campus.
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