From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Osun State Government has described as ‘untrue,’ report that Governor Ademola Adeleke pardoned murderer when he granted amnesty to 36 convicts recently.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, in a statement on Saturday, said the online media report titled, “Osun: Adeleke pardons suspected murderer who confessed to slitting friend’s throat for money ritual,” was not only fake, jaundiced and misleading but totally out of place with the existing reality.
Alimi explained that the recommended list of convicted inmates, signed by Mr. Inyang C.N, an Assistant Superintendent of Corrections on behalf of Controller of Corrections, Osun state Command, did not, in any way or manner, state that, of the 36 convicts granted amnesty, one of them, a herbalist, Kehinde Ganiyu was facing a murder charge.
He described the purported story linking Governor Adeleke to the granting of a state pardon to a murderer as ‘journalistically avaricious and misleading’ to the innocent members of the public.
“How on earth could Governor Ademola Adeleke who is in tune with the yearnings and good expectations of the public have gone the whole hog in granting a pardon to condemned criminal of Kehinde Ganiyu’s standing, if it had been poignantly stated in the said letter that the released person was a condemned criminal.
“Kehinde Ganiyu who was among the prisoners granted pardon was convicted of stealing and not murder as contained in the list compiled by the correctional centres.
“Governor Ademola, with all sense of responsibility, in his official capacity as the Chief Executive of Osun State, in this situation, acted in good faith in line with the occasional show of clemency expected of his position and office, more so at such an occasion that coincided with the 65th Anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence.
“We are, therefore, using this medium to appeal for calm, restraint and understanding, particularly on the part of members of the public in Osun State by dismissing such an online news report as a hatchet job calculated at painting the person and office of His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun State in bad light.
“We implore Insight links, the purveyor of the said misleading and fake news to always go extra mile in verifying the authenticity or otherwise of any given story or situation, to avoid a misrepresentation of fact, which could become a subject of serious litigation by the wrongly accused party in the matter.
“Finally, we are similarly using this medium to, also advise Insight links online media, and other people with similar notions, if still not convinced about the action taken by His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to go to both Ilesa and Ile Ife Correctional Centres for further verification,” Alimi added.
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