Setting the Record Straight; Court didn’t sentence Man to death for stealing fowl, it was armed robbery

Setting the Record Straight; Court didn’t sentence Man to death for stealing fowl, it was armed robbery

The Osun State High Court has firmly rejected the widespread rumors claiming that a young man, Olowookere Segun, was sentenced to death for stealing a chicken.

In a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight,” dated December 20, the court, through its Chief Registrar Omisade F.I., clarified the facts, dismissing the reports as “mischievous and misleading.”

Earlier media coverage suggested that Segun had been sentenced to death for a petty theft of a fowl, a narrative that the court has vehemently denied, calling the reports both false and intended to damage the reputation of the judiciary.

The statement emphasised that these claims were fabricated and maliciously distorted.

The court clarified that the accusations circulating in the media were based on “distorted facts,” and explained that the sentencing involved serious criminal charges, not a trivial theft.

“It has come to our attention that news has been circulating about a young man, Olowookere Segun, who was supposedly sentenced to death by an Osun State High Court on December 17, 2014,” the statement read.

“However, the facts have been misrepresented with malicious intent, and we firmly reject these false reports.”

The judiciary dismissed the claims as the work of “mischief-makers,” who displayed a “shocking lack of intellectual integrity.”

The court pointed out that the death sentence for robbery is only applicable when the crime involves the use of a deadly weapon, emphasising that a person cannot be sentenced to death for stealing a chicken, or any other item, without being armed at the time of the crime.

For clarity, the court explained that Segun, along with his accomplice Morakinyo Sunday, had been arrested in April 2010 for a series of armed robberies, including a robbery at a poultry farm in Oyan, Osun State, where weapons were recovered from the suspects. They both confessed to their involvement in the crimes.

The two men were tried before the Osun State High Court at Ikirun, where they were found guilty of armed robbery after a thorough trial that lasted from February 2013 until December 2014.

Contrary to some reports, Segun was 19 years old at the time of his arrest, not 17, and Sunday was 18.

The court emphasised that the death sentence handed down to Segun and Sunday was in line with the law, which mandates such a penalty for armed robbery.

However, the trial judge, in a show of compassion, also recommended clemency for the convicted individuals, demonstrating a “magnanimous and fatherly disposition.”

The statement urged the public to refrain from spreading false information and to uphold the dignity of the judiciary.

“Justice is not a one-way street,” the court reminded, stressing that it serves not only the accused but also the victims and society at large.

In closing, the court condemned any attempts to disparage the judiciary or its officials, labeling such actions as “presumptuous and malicious,” and called for greater respect for the legal system’s integrity.