Gboyega Oyetola
A NON-government organization, Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) has appealed to the Osun State government to extend its amnesty to two inmates who were convicted and sentenced to death for stealing fowls by the Osun State High Court in 2014.
The Executive Director of the group, Abdulrazaq Hamzat made this appeal through the media on Tuesday stating that the state government should extend the amnesty it has granted to some inmates for the purpose of decongestion the Custodial centres as a result of the dreadful Coronavirus which is codenamed Covid-19.
Justice Jide Falola of an Osun State High Court sitting in Okuku had on December 19, 2014 sentenced two robbers; Olowookere Segun and Morakinyo Sunday to death for stealing fowls after they were found guilty of breaking into the house of one Mr. Balogun Tope, a police officer in Okuku, on April 2010 and carted away some of his belongings.
The convicts were charged with conspiracy, robbery and stealing contrary to Section 6(b) and 1(2)(a) of Robbery and Firearm (Special Provisions) Act, cap R 11 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section (390)(1) Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Laws of Osun State, 2002.
The prosecution informed the court that on November 13, 2010, some men were sighted around Balogun’s home armed with cutlass and a dane gun, and that while two of them were arrested, others escaped. However, the convicts reportedly confessed that they stole the complainant’s fowls, and admitted that they had been in his house earlier to steal.
The prosecution team, led by the state Solicitor-General, Mrs. Abiola Adewemimo also adduced to the court that the gang had also earlier robbed Alhaja Umani Oyewo in her house and stole broilers, eggs and kegs of vegetable oil from the house.
In his judgment, Justice Falola convicted them on only three counts: to death for conspiracy; life sentence for robbery, and three years imprisonment for stealing.
However, the NGO in the appeal stated that their ages and petty things like eggs and fowls that were listed in all the operations suggests they were engaged in the crimes by bad influence adding that the years they have spent in the custody must have taught them lessons.
Hamzat therefore appealed to the state governor, Gboyega Oyetola to commute the duo’s jail terms to stealing which carries 3 years imprisonment in line with the decongestion of the Custodial centres as canvassed by President Muhammadu Buhari putting into consideration their age including Segun Olowookere who was reportedly 17 years old at the time of commission of the crimes.