Osun Court Debunks Claims Of Death Sentence For Fowl Theft

The Osun State High Court has debunked reports circulating online of the sentencing of a young man to death for stealing a fowl.

In a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight” dated December 20 and signed by its Chief Registrar, Omisade F.I., the court said the claims were baseless and intended to malign the judiciary and its officials.

The parents of a convict, Olowookere Segun, had granted an interview in which they claimed he was sentenced to death for stealing a fowl. Their interview caught the attention of the Osun state governor, Ademola Adeleke, who directed immediate investigation and pardoning action on the convict's case.

However, the court in a statement released said the narrative that it sentenced the convict to death because he stole a fowl is “mischievous and misleading” and gave clarity on why he was sentenced to death.

The statement reads;

“Our attention has been drawn to the news making the rounds about a young man, Olowookere Segun, who was sentenced to death on 17th December 2014 by an Osun State High Court, Ikirun Judicial Division presided over by His Lordship, Hon. Justice S.O. Falola.

The facts of the case have been distorted and maliciously misrepresented to the generality of the people. What has been laid before the public domain is that this boy was convicted and sentenced to death for stealing one fowl,” the court noted.

The judiciary described the reports as the work of “mischief-makers,” who have demonstrated “an abysmal level of intellectual bankruptcy.” It explained that the law mandated a death sentence for armed robbery when the accused is proven to have used a lethal weapon.

“An educated person does not need to be a lawyer before being well-informed to know as a fact that a person cannot be sentenced to death for stealing a fowl, not even one billion naira, without being armed at the time of committing the crime,” the statement continued.

Providing clarity on the case, the court explained that Olowookere Segun and his accomplice, Morakinyo Sunday, were arrested in April 2010 for a series of armed robberies, including an armed robbery at a poultry in Oyan town of Osun State. Weapons were recovered from the suspects, who also confessed to their crimes.

“They were charged before the High Court of Justice, Ikirun Judicial Division… After a full trial which lasted from 11th February 2013 to 17th December 2014, they were found guilty and convicted of armed robbery,” the court stated.

The court further clarified that Olowookere Segun was 19 years old at the time of his arrest, contrary to claims that he was 17. The second accused, Morakinyo Sunday, was 18 years old.

“The said Olowookere Segun, the first accused person in suit No. HKK/2C/2012, being of 17 years old at the time of the trial which has been blown out of proportion is nothing but a nauseating falsehood. He was in fact 19 years old at the time he was arrested and made to stand trial,” the court explained.

The judiciary emphasised that the trial judge followed the law in delivering the mandatory death sentence for armed robbery while also recommending the convicts for clemency.

“The trial judge, in His Lordship’s characteristic magnanimity, large heart, and fatherly disposition, did what the law prescribed and went further to recommend them for mercy of the Governor,” the statement read.

The court urged the public to avoid spreading misinformation and to respect the judiciary's integrity.

“All itinerant commentators should always note that justice is not a one-way traffic. It is a time-hallowed saying in legal parlance that justice is for the accused, for the victim of the crime, and for the society at large,” the judiciary added.

The statement concluded by warning against attempts to disparage the judiciary and its officials, calling such actions “presumptuous and malicious.”