By Ade Oyeyemi
The family of Bamidele Adeyemi, who was killed in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in 2020, has appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to reject a request for executive clemency by one of the men convicted over the killing.
The family’s appeal concerns Ajayi Olayinka, who is serving a life sentence following his conviction over the death of Adeyemi.
In a petition dated September 25, 2026, and addressed to the Ogun State Governor, the family urged Abiodun to uphold the court’s judgment and decline Olayinka’s application for a state pardon.
The petition was signed by the deceased’s sister, Oluwayemisi Adesanya, on behalf of the family and submitted to the governor’s office in Abeokuta.
According to the family, Adeyemi, a father of two, was killed during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 after he allegedly refused to reopen a restricted community security gate in the Onikolobo area of Abeokuta.
The family said Adeyemi was serving on a community security committee when Olayinka and others allegedly attacked him with knives and broken bottles, leading to his death.
Following the incident, Olayinka and another defendant, Abayomi Oguntayo, were arrested and prosecuted before the Ogun State High Court.
The two men were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023 at the Ibara Correctional Centre, Abeokuta, after entering into a plea bargain that resulted in the original murder charge being reduced to voluntary manslaughter.
However, Olayinka subsequently sought the governor’s intervention. In a letter dated February 21, 2025, his lawyer appealed to Abiodun to exercise the constitutional power of prerogative of mercy and order his client’s release.
The lawyer argued that the killing was not premeditated and asked the governor to give Olayinka another opportunity to rebuild his life.
The deceased’s family rejected the argument, describing portions of the clemency application as an inaccurate account of the circumstances surrounding Adeyemi’s death.
“We have seen the clemency letter which falsely claims that Bamidele molested and provoked the convict and that the act was not premeditated,” the family said in its petition.
The family also told the governor that the death had inflicted lasting emotional and health consequences on their household, claiming that Adeyemi’s parents suffered severe health problems following the loss of their son.
According to Adesanya, both parents subsequently died, with their mother passing away in 2025 and their father in 2026.
She said Adeyemi’s death also left behind his widow, a daughter who was 10 years old at the time of the incident and a son who was about eight months old.
The family also opposed the argument that Olayinka’s rehabilitation in prison should influence the clemency decision. They noted that the convict had reportedly obtained a university degree through the National Open University of Nigeria while serving his sentence.
“Rehabilitation does not rewrite the facts of a brutal murder. Getting a degree in prison does not restore the life that was violently snuffed out,” the family stated.
The bereaved relatives urged Abiodun to reject the pardon application, arguing that doing so would uphold the judgment of the court and send a message against violent crime and lawlessness.
As of the time of filing the report, the Ogun State Ministry of Justice and the State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy had not publicly stated their positions on the application.
