By Damilola Samuel
The Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) has appealed to the governors of five South-West states to urgently review mercy petitions involving 27 inmates, including 23 sentenced to death and four serving life imprisonment.
The organisation said some of the inmates had spent nearly 25 years in custody, while others had waited years for their appeals to be heard or faced questions about the evidence supporting their convictions.
In an open appeal to the governors of Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos states, CJMR Founder and Executive Director, Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, said the organisation had submitted detailed case reports and supporting court records to the attorneys-general of the affected states. However, several petitions had yet to receive substantive responses despite advocacy efforts dating back to 2023.
“We respectfully seek Your Excellencies’ personal attention to secure timely consideration of the evidence and a clear response to each petition,” Olujobi said.
According to him, the 27 inmates were identified from 19 cases involving 32 individuals referred to the organisation by custodial welfare officers. The remaining five cases are awaiting further attention or the acquisition of court records for independent review.
The inmates comprise six in Osun, three in Oyo, six in Ogun, nine in Ekiti and three in Lagos. The four serving life sentences were convicted of offences including kidnapping and rape, while the 23 on death row were sentenced for crimes including murder, armed robbery and alleged ritual killings.
Olujobi acknowledged the seriousness of the offences but maintained that convictions must be supported by credible evidence capable of establishing guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
“Our concern is whether each conviction rests on reliable evidence sufficient to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Justice requires both accountability for those proven guilty and protection for those wrongfully convicted,” he said.
He cited previous interventions by the organisation, including the release in 2024 of two individuals who had spent 24 years in prison and the grant of clemency in 2026 to two inmates in Ogun State who had spent nine and 16 years on death row, respectively.
“These interventions demonstrate why the pending petitions in other states deserve careful attention,” he added.
Among the cases highlighted was that of Victor Akpoyibo, a police officer sentenced to death in Osun State in July 2010 for allegedly robbing a colleague of N4,500 with an AK-47 rifle in Apomu in 2001.
CJMR said its review raised questions about the identification evidence, the absence of independent eyewitness corroboration, the non-recovery of the alleged proceeds and whether the missing police rifle had been established as part of the evidence.
The organisation said Akpoyibo’s appeal was filed at the Supreme Court in July 2014 after the Court of Appeal dismissed his earlier appeal. It further claimed that its inquiries indicated the state had not filed a response. According to CJMR, he had spent nearly 25 years in custody as of October 2026.
In Ekiti State, the group called for a review of the convictions of family members sentenced to death over the alleged murder of their landlord. It questioned the circumstances surrounding the case, including the reported involvement of another suspect who remained at large.
CJMR also said Rashidat Abdul, one of the family members, had reportedly died while awaiting justice, urging the authorities to give careful consideration to the cases of the surviving members.
In Ogun State, the organisation sought urgent intervention in the case of Korede Odubela, reportedly aged 75, who was sentenced to death over the killing of his daughter. CJMR said he was reportedly critically ill in custody and that questions remained about the evidence presented during his trial.
The group also raised concerns over the case of Alao Tunde in Oyo State, whose appeal against a death sentence for armed robbery was reportedly struck out because the court record was incomplete.
“A record needed to examine a conviction should not become an unresolved barrier to justice when a human life is at stake,” Olujobi said.
The organisation urged the five governors to examine the submitted case records, address outstanding state responses contributing to delays in appeals, consider clemency where warranted and provide updates on the status of each petition.
“Silence in the face of credible evidence of injustice prolongs suffering,” Olujobi said, adding that CJMR was willing to provide further documentation and information required by the state governments.
The group also called on Nigerians at home and abroad to urge the governors to review the cases, warning that prolonged delays could deepen the hardship experienced by the inmates and their families.
