Osun judiciary clarifies misconceptions on Olowookere Segun’s death sentence
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
The Osun State Judiciary has addressed the widespread misinformation regarding the death sentence handed to Olowookere Segun, setting the record straight.
In a statement signed by the Chief Registrar, Francis Omisade, the Judiciary clarified that Segun was sentenced to death for armed robbery, not for stealing a fowl as widely reported.
Omisade explained that Segun and an accomplice, Morakinyo Sunday, were apprehended during a robbery at a poultry farm in Oyan town. The pair were linked to several other armed robberies in the area, and firearms were recovered from them at the time of their arrest.
The statement read in part:”The facts of the case have been distorted and maliciously misrepresented to the public. The narrative that this boy was convicted and sentenced to death for stealing one fowl is false and misleading.
“The reality is that Olowookere Segun and Morakinyo Sunday were actively robbing unsuspecting residents of Oyan town and its environs at gunpoint. Their criminal activities were cut short in April 2010 when they were caught in the act of robbing a poultry farm. Arms were recovered from them, and they confessed to numerous other armed robberies.”
The Chief Registrar emphasized that the death sentence was in accordance with the law, which mandates the punishment for armed robbery.
He stated, “Under the law, any person charged with armed robbery and proven to have used a lethal weapon during the crime is mandatorily sentenced to death by hanging. The trial judge was bound by this legal requirement.”
The convicts were tried before the High Court of Justice, Ikirun Judicial Division, presided over by Hon. Justice S.O. Falola. Following a trial that spanned from February 11, 2013, to December 17, 2014, they were found guilty and convicted of armed robbery.
Addressing rumors about Segun’s age, Omisade refuted claims that he was 17 years old at the time of the trial, describing such assertions as baseless.
He clarified, “Olowookere Segun was 19 years old at the time of his arrest and trial, as confirmed by his extra-judicial statement and the court records. Similarly, Morakinyo Sunday, the second accused, was 18 years old at the time.”
The Chief Registrar also highlighted that the trial judge adhered to legal procedures and, as required by law, recommended clemency for the convicts to the Governor.
