Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Friday revealed that the man recently sentenced to death by hanging in Osun State for stealing a fowl had already spent 14 years in prison for the same offence before he was condemned to death.
Obi made the revelation in a post via his account on the X platform.
The 2023 LP presidential candidate also commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for intervening to prevent the killing of the man in question, saying the court sentence is an inhumane punishment.
Obi submitted that the man’s case is a direct reflection of Nigeria’s legal system in which those who embezzle public funds are celebrated while citizens who dare to speak are criminalized and silenced.
The former Anambra State Governor condemned a system that rewards impunity and punishes integrity. He also called for urgent judicial reform in Nigeria.
He wrote: “I like to commend Governor Ademola Adeleke for stepping in to prevent the inhumane punishment of death by hanging for the theft of a fowl and eggs—an offense for which the individual had already spent 14 years in prison. That sentence alone far exceeded the demands of justice, if the crime warranted such consideration in the first place.
“This case underscores the harsh inequalities of the Nigerian legal system. If you dare to speak freely, you are treated as a criminal and silenced. If you embezzle billions of public funds, you are celebrated, even when caught and taken to court. Yet, those pursuing honest, legitimate businesses are burdened by oppressive regulations and treated with suspicion, as though success through integrity is a crime.
“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. -PO,”
Naijaonpoint recalls Governor Adeleke had intervened and ordered action for prerogative mercy on the case of an indigene, Segun Olowookere, who was convicted and sentenced to death for stealing fowl.
Segun’s mother, Folashade Olowookere, tearfully narrated the ordeal of her only son, currently in prison, in an interview on the YouTube podcast of Nollywood actress, Biola Adebayo.