Death-for-fowl: Pardoned convict returned home with mental disorder, says family

The family of Sunday Morakinyo, one of the Osun indigenes involved in the infamous ‘death-for-fowl’ case, has appealed to the government and well-meaning individuals for assistance in addressing the mental illness he has been battling.

According to the family, Morakinyo was in good and stable condition before his arrest by the police in November 2010 for allegedly stealing fowl and eggs in Oyan, Osun State.

On January 30, 2013, the police arraigned Morakinyo and his co-accused, Segun Olowookere, before Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court in Ikirun, on charges of conspiracy, robbery, and stealing.

They were accused of conspiring in November 2010 to rob one Oguntade Faramade of fowls and eggs worth N20,000.

Morakinyo and Olowookere were convicted and sentenced to death by the Osun State High Court on December 17, 2014, for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, and stealing.

However, Governor Ademola Adeleke pardoned them last week following a public outcry.

Morakinyo, upon his release, returned home with a mental illness that reportedly developed after his arrest.

Olowookere, in an interview revealed that Morakinyo’s mental disorder was a result of the torture they endured at the Okuku Police Division.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Morakinyo’s uncle, Ojo Olaide, refuted claims that the ex-convict had been suffering from a mental disorder before his arrest.

Olaide asserted that Morakinyo, who lived with his grandmother, was healthy and mentally stable at the time of his arrest.

He said, “Nothing was wrong with him before his arrest. He was hale and hearty and mentally stable. He was arrested at the market in Oyan and taken to the police station for allegedly stealing fowl and eggs, which he denied.

“Later, Segun Olowookere was also brought to the station, having been arrested at his father’s shop. We wanted to pay for their bail that day, but our children insisted that we shouldn’t because they hadn’t committed any crime.

“The following day, the two of them were transferred to the Okuku Police Division, then to Osogbo. That was how the case escalated. Our children were eventually arraigned in court for robbery, a crime they did not commit.

“During the trial, the policeman who arrested them testified in court that Sunday and Segun were not involved in the theft of fowls and eggs. Those who actually committed the crime were taken to welfare homes in Osogbo, and I later learnt they were released.”

Olaide accused the police of implicating Morakinyo and Olowookere, alleging that the statements of confession attributed to them were fabricated.

“The police, not our children, wrote the so-called statements of confession. I can defend that claim anywhere. The police implicated our children,” he said.

Asked when the family first noticed changes in Morakinyo’s mental condition, Olaide said it became evident while he was in the Ilesa Correctional Centre.

“I was told Sunday was tortured severely, and that led to his mental illness. I visited him regularly at the Ilesa Correctional Centre, bringing him clothes, but by my next visit, he would have torn them. That was how I came to know about his condition. Sunday was in a very stable condition before his arrest. Unfortunately, he returned home with a mental disorder. He doesn’t recognise people again,” he explained.

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Olaide commended Governor Adeleke for pardoning the ex-convicts and appealed for further support to rehabilitate Morakinyo.

He said, “I deeply appreciate Governor Ademola Adeleke for pardoning both Segun and Sunday. However, we are appealing to the government to assist us in treating Sunday’s condition and facilitating his rehabilitation. We plan to take him to the hospital by Monday.”