Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has praised Governor Ademola Adeleke for his intervention in the case of Segun Olowookere, who had been sentenced to death for stealing a fowl in Osun State.
Olowookere, alongside his accomplice Morakinyo Sunday, was arrested in 2010 for breaking into the homes of a police officer and another individual. In 2014, Justice Falola of the Osun State High Court sentenced them to death by hanging after they were found guilty of the burglary and theft. The harsh sentence, especially for a crime involving a stolen fowl, sparked widespread outrage and drew attention to the perceived imbalance in the justice system.
Governor Adeleke’s decision to step in and grant clemency to Olowookere has received widespread approval, including from Peter Obi. In a post on his X account on Friday, Obi commended the governor’s decision to prevent what he described as “inhumane punishment” for a crime that had already resulted in 14 years of imprisonment for Olowookere. Obi stressed that the original sentence far exceeded the demands of justice, questioning whether the crime even warranted such a harsh penalty.
Obi also used the case to highlight the broader issues within Nigeria’s legal system. He criticized the country’s judicial system for its inequities, pointing out that while those who embezzle public funds are often celebrated, individuals pursuing honest livelihoods are burdened by oppressive regulations and treated with suspicion.
“This case underscores the harsh inequalities of the Nigerian legal system,” Obi wrote. “It is a system that rewards impunity while punishing integrity—a stark indictment of our need for urgent judicial reform and genuine accountability in governance.”