Ogun AG Debunks “Wrongful Conviction” Claim, Clarifies Inmate’s Robbery Conviction

Abeokuta, Ogun State – The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ogun State, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, has strongly refuted recent viral reports alleging that recently released inmate Ogbonna Ogbojionu was wrongfully convicted over two decades ago for merely purchasing a stolen generator. Ogungbade, in a press statement issued today, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, labeled the viral narrative as “entirely false,” clarifying that Ogbonna’s conviction stemmed from a violent armed robbery that resulted in a security guard’s death, not the innocent act of buying a stolen item.

According to the Attorney-General, Ogbonna was found guilty and sentenced to death by the Ogun State High Court on January 14, 2003. His conviction was for his role in a brutal robbery that occurred on October 3, 2000, at the ELF petrol station along the Abeokuta-Lagos expressway. This heinous crime involved the theft of a 10 KVA Lister generator and, tragically, the death of one of the station’s security guards, Moses Bankole.

Ogungbade revealed that Ogbonna, a generator technician, was part of a gang that attacked the filling station late at night. The attackers used iron rods to assault two guards, killing one and seriously injuring the other, before making off with the generator. Days later, Ogbonna was arrested in a vehicle attempting to conceal the stolen generator under bags of pure water and firewood, along with two accomplices.

After initially escaping police custody, Ogbonna was re-arrested and subsequently led investigators to Ali Rihan, the individual who purchased the stolen generator from him. Rihan returned the generator to the police and testified against Ogbonna during the trial. The Attorney-General emphasized that Ogbonna made two confessional statements, which were admitted in court without objection.

“The prosecution called eleven witnesses. Ogbonna and his co-defendants called none. Instead, they chose to rest their case on the prosecution’s evidence, effectively conceding the facts while hoping for an acquittal. The court rightly convicted them,” Ogungbade stated.

The Attorney-General also addressed the commutation of Ogbonna’s death sentence to life imprisonment by Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2021, as well as his recent release in 2025 under the Governor’s prerogative of mercy to mark Democracy Day. Ogungbade underscored that such mercy is a discretionary act, not a right, guided by criteria such as remorse, conduct in prison, and the likelihood of successful reintegration into society. He contrasted Ogbonna’s post-release behavior—described as dishonest and misleading—with that of a co-defendant, Segun Ajibade, who was pardoned in 2016 and has reportedly lived a quiet life since.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Ongoing efforts to portray Ogbonna as a victim only re-traumatize the real victims of his crime, especially the family of Moses Bankole, who died in the attack,” Ogungbade warned.

He concluded by urging Ogbonna to embrace his freedom with humility and refrain from spreading falsehoods that distort the record of his conviction.

“Ogbonna was not a victim. He was an active participant in an armed robbery that led to the death of an innocent man. The public is hereby reminded of the truth,” the statement read.