Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has granted the commutation of sentences for 53 convicts, including a young man, Segun Olowokere, who was sentenced to death for stealing chicken and eggs. The commutation, which was made public on Thursday, was in line with the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and marks the 2024 Christmas celebration.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke revealed that the recommendations were made after thorough consideration of the convicts’ cases.
**Details of the Commutations**
The 53 convicts, who were serving sentences for various offenses, include individuals who have already served substantial portions of their sentences. As part of the commutation:
– **30 inmates** convicted of simple offenses will have the remainder of their sentences remitted or forgiven.
– **12 inmates** convicted of simple offenses will receive an outright pardon.
– **4 convicts** sentenced to death will be granted a full pardon.
– **1 convict** sentenced to death will have their sentence commuted to 15 years in prison.
– **6 convicts** sentenced to death will be released outright.
Among the convicts who benefited from the commutation is Segun Olowokere, who was sentenced to death at the age of 17 in 2010 for his involvement in the theft of chicken and eggs from a poultry farm in Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government Area. He had been convicted alongside others for the robbery, which occurred when he was a teenager. Olowokere’s sentence was commuted from death to an outright pardon.
