Published 22nd Jan, 2025

By Daniel Ojukwu

On Wednesday morning, Taofeek Adeshina, a photographer known as Foto Nugget, shared a post on X stating, “The ex-convict pardoned by Governor Adeleke has been rearrested for stealing [a] TV.”

Adeshina’s post began with the assertion that some people do not deserve “kind-hearted parents”.

His choice of words, ‘The’ (an article indicating a specific ex-convict known to the public) and ‘kind-hearted parents’ (a reference to parenting) got social media users believing Adeshina was referring to Segun Olowookere, a young man convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to death by the Osun State High Court in 2014.

Social media users reacted to the post saying they read the news and saw it referred to Olowookere.

CLAIM: Fowl thief Segun Olowookere rearrested for stealing a TV set.

VERIFICATION: FIJ checked media reports on Wednesday and found that the convict they referred to was Sunday Omisakin, one of 12 inmates Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke pardoned on December 24, 2024.

Omisakin is accused of breaking into the house of resident Shittu Damilare in Osogbo, the capital city of Osun, on January 3, and stealing a television set worth N600,000.

FIJ obtained a list of pardonees and found that Omisakin’s name was number 8 for outright pardon amongst those who committed simple offences.

RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT PARDON

S/N	NAME	NATURE OF OFFENCE
1	Olabomiji Nurudeen	Simple offence
2	Mustapha Isah	Simple offence
3	Olalekan Abdullahi	Simple offence
4	Ayomide Olojede	Simple offence
5	Akeem Raphael	Simple offence
6	Adeyemi Abiodun	Simple offence
7	Oladipupo Segun	Simple offence
8	Omisakin Sunday	Simple offence
9	Ademola Adio	Simple offence
10	Tunde Olapade	Simple offence
11	Late Chief Wole Ola Rufus Ojo	Simple offence
12	Omoloye Olajide Olayemi	Simple offence

Meanwhile, Olowookere was listed as number 2 among those who committed capital offences.

RECOMMENDED FOR OUTRIGHT PARDON FOR GOOD CONDUCT

S/N	NAME	NATURE OF OFFENCE
1	Sunday Morakinyo	Capital offence
2	Segun Olowookere	Capital offence
3	Tunde Olapade	Capital offence
4	Demola Odeyemi	Capital offence

After Olowookere’s November 2010 arrest and eventual imprisonment, he stayed on death row until late 2024 when videos of his parents appealing to the government began circulating.

Adeleke then demanded an investigation into the process that led to Olowookere’s incarceration and then granted him a pardon.

CONCLUSION: The wording of the post and the eventual reaction suggest the narrative deviated from the news story.

VERDICT: Misleading.

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