The parents of Segun Olowookere, a young man reportedly arrested at the age of 17 in 2010 for allegedly stealing a fowl and eggs in Osun State, recently shared their journey and continued hope for justice after a decade of legal battles.

In an interview on the Talk To B show, hosted by actress Abiola Adebayo and aired on Tuesday, Olowookere Olarenwaju and his wife, Folashade, described a chain of events that led to the conviction of Segun, their only child, and subsequent years of hardship.

Mr Olowookere explained that their struggles began in 2008 when a cleric from Kwara State warned the family that their son would face great challenges in the future.

“The cleric said there is a generational curse on the child in the future, and it will be a tough one, but he said if God spares his life, that is the only battle he will fight in life. So we kept praying,” Segun’s father said.

Recalling how Segun was arrested two years later, the father said, “I was at my shop, where I rent out and sell video CDs when the police came around 11 am that day. They fired shots in the air, and we all ran away.”

He explained that the police successfully apprehended one boy and took him into their vehicle.

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The boy reportedly came back to inform him that he had seen some of Segun’s schoolmates in the van, who told the police that he was not Segun, which made the police let him go.

The father added that the boy revealed to him that these schoolmates were being accused of stealing a chicken and eggs.

Olowookere explained how he urged his son to run away because he didn’t want him to be entangled in any police case.

He said, “I told my son about the incident, and he said they can’t be looking for him. My son doesn’t eat chicken because I also have a poultry.

“He said he can’t run away because he doesn’t even eat chicken. We begged him, but he insisted he won’t run because he’s innocent.

“The policemen returned around 9 pm that same day, and someone came to tell him (Segun) about it and urged him to run away. He didn’t run until the police took him away. I later realised the owner of the chicken was a member of my extended family.”

After being taken to the police station, Olowookere said the Divisional Police Officer demanded N30,000 to release Segun.

“I got to the station, and the DPO told me to bring N30,000 if I didn’t want my child to go to jail. The arrested children were about seven when we got to the station, so I wondered why they demanded N30,000 from only my son, but the DPO insisted.”

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Olowookere explained that despite bringing N20,000, the DPO reportedly insisted on the full amount, refusing to show mercy.

“I begged him to collect the money, but he insisted on N30,000, so I should go and look for the complete money. He said he had no child and had no reason to be merciful,” he said.

Olowookere then sought help from politicians, but the situation grew more dire.

“I decided to involve politicians,” he said. “I went to meet one of the brothers of the then governor, Oyinlola. The brother sent someone to the DPO to release the boy, but the DPO said I went to report him to someone, and it wouldn’t stop him from collecting the money. He said I’ll be surprised that my son will go to jail.

“Within five minutes, he brought out my son and the rest. He also brought out the cutlasses they found in the house of their parents because they searched our houses. One of the boys, father was a hunter; they also brought his gun. The DPO laid the weapons in front of the boys and took their pictures with the weapons.”

“He told me to say goodbye to my son,” Olowookere recalled, struggling to hold back tears. “Then I burst into tears. He told me not to come close and that he doesn’t accept apologies. That was how they took the children away.

“They took them to Osogbo; on getting there, we had to get the service of a lawyer; they took the rest of them to welfare, but only my son was taken to Ilesa.”

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Olowookere explained that although Segun was born in 1993 and 17 years old at the time of the incident, the DPO argued that since he had completed secondary school, he should not be considered a minor.

He claimed that the officer increased Segun’s age, claiming he was an undergraduate, despite the fact that Segun was just 15 days away from starting university when the problem began.

He added that about six months later, the other children involved were released, leaving only Segun in custody.

In an attempt to resolve the situation, he said he went to see his relative who owned the chicken and eggs and offered to compensate him for the chicken and eggs that were allegedly stolen.

However, the relative insisted that Segun was not involved in the theft and told him to leave.

“I went to meet our family elders, and they called him, but he still insisted my son was not among the thieves,” Segun’s father said.

He said the family endured years of court appearances, and one day, the judge mentioned that if the complainant did not show up in court the following month, the case would be dismissed.

This prompted Segun’s father to approach his relative, the complainant, along with another family elder, to encourage him to forgive Segun, especially since he was the only one left in the case.

They reportedly begged him to state that he was no longer interested in pursuing the case; however, the relative reacted angrily, accusing him of trying to lecture him.

He added that the relative later came to testify in court, claiming that Segun was the leader of the thieves, leading to his death sentence.

Olowookere recalled, “On the said day at court, I saw my brother and the policeman who made the arrest. The policeman was the first to speak, and he said Segun Olowookere is not among the thieves. We were all excited that my son would be free that day.

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“When it was my brother’s turn to speak, he said my son is the leader of the thieves.

“Eventually, the judge sentenced my son to death. That was how I left the court in tears.

“People asked if he was a murderer; if not, why sentenced to death? We didn’t see anyone with an injury, not even a gunshot or sign of physical assault. People were surprised.”

Tearfully recounting the day of the sentencing, Oloowokere added, “I cried, and my son said, ‘My daddy, don’t cry.”

“He said if he’s truly innocent, he won’t be killed, but he will only be killed if he’s not innocent. He said I should be at peace that he won’t be killed. I couldn’t tell his mum when I got home. From the High Court, where the judgement was made, he was taken to Abeokuta.

“The judge also said that the governor of the state has the right to pardon my son after ten years if he chooses to do so. We’ve been praying about it since then.”

Speaking during the interview, Segun’s mother, Folashade, stated that in the years that followed, Segun was transferred to different prisons, including the Kiri Kiri Prison in Lagos State, where he managed to further his education despite the harsh conditions.

She said, “When he got to Kiri Kiri at first, he was selling food so he could have money to sponsor his education because he had a good result. So, he was trying to gather money to prepare for the school.

“I asked if it was possible there; he said yes. So, he calls us when he needs anything for the food he was selling and his education. I’ve visited the place, and I saw that there’s a school there.

“He even called us for his graduation, but he knew we didn’t have money, so we couldn’t attend his graduation. My younger siblings in Lagos attended on our behalf. He studied a medical course in prison.”

She also spoke of the emotional toll, saying, “We have been to every possible person for help, but each time it seemed like hope faded. My son’s situation has made me hypertensive.

“Since the beginning of this issue, I have never had a joyful festival season. I have no money, no business; the money is usually spent on this. I don’t want to die this way; have mercy and help me.

“People keep asking us what can be done, but we don’t know. We are even tired at this point, but if God has a purpose for his life that didn’t kill him till now, he will bring him out.”

Segun’s father also clarified that there were two out of the seven who were sentenced, but the other boy had some mental issues.

“I even thought his parents would have gone to pick him up because they asked them to come pick him up when the mental issue started,” he said.

The PUNCH reports that in response to the widespread outcry over the issue, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has directed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to launch a full investigation into the case, with the aim of granting Segun clemency.