In a harrowing account of injustice within the Nigerian criminal justice system, Lukman Adeyemi recounts his 24-year ordeal behind bars, a consequence of a misguided act of loyalty towards a friend.

His narrative sheds light on the flaws and injustices prevalent within the system, leading to a prolonged and unjust incarceration. Adeyemi describes his initial encounter with the system as a descent into hopelessness, spending nine years in pre-trial detention, followed by an agonizing 15 years on death row.

The conditions he faced were nothing short of torture, reminiscent of a dark and endless nightmare. Recalling moments of interrogation by SARS Police officers, he vividly portrays the physical and psychological torment endured as he was coerced into admitting to crimes, he had no knowledge of, under duress and threat.

Reflecting on his incredulity at being held accountable for another’s transgressions, he questions the system’s integrity and fairness. Despite being an innocent bystander caught in the web of injustice, he found himself entangled in a legal quagmire that seemed insurmountable.

His decision to accompany his friend to the police station, out of a sense of loyalty and duty, inadvertently led to his own wrongful arrest and subsequent incarceration.

Throughout his years of imprisonment, he faced skepticism and disbelief when attempting to share his truth with others. The prevailing sentiment of doubt and suspicion only added to his misery, as he grappled with the weight of false accusations and a lack of justice. However, a glimmer of hope emerged when he crossed paths with the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) and his team, who offered support and advocacy on his behalf.

The intervention of the Organization, headed by Pastor Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi, brought a renewed sense of optimism and possibility, signaling a potential breakthrough in his quest for freedom.

In his own word:

I am Lukman Adeyemi, a native of Iwerele, Iwajowa Local Government, Oyo State. I am a Bricklayer by profession. My fathet has many wives but my mother was the first wife, we were three born by my mother, I am number 2, the third is a female.

I was 26 years old when I had this problem. In August, 2000, after returning home from work with a friend living with me, Ismaila Lasisi, we were told that Police came to look for Ismaila and he was asked to report himself in the station, I immediately decided to follow him to the station, lo and behold I was arrested and detained along with him. I was tortured to the point of death over a crime I knew nothing about, right from the police station I had a close shave with the death over a murder of a woman who was hired by some ex-friends of Ismaila Lasisi to fetch water for them at the construction site.

The woman left home in the morning and she never return home. Ismaila Lasisi once lived with them, he begged to come and live with me after he had a misunderstanding with these people in March, I knew these people from a far distance, our path never crossed in life for anything. This was how I was charged to court along with these people, over the offence I never had any knowledge of. In 2009, we were sentenced to death. We filed separate appeal but the Appeal failed to the Supreme Court. My story of innocence to whoever care to listen fell on deaf ears, with many questionings, ‘If you’re not one of them, why mention your name?’ If truly you were innocence why can’t court free you? I felt abandoned by truth itself.” I spent 24 years behind bars like 24 hours, a sleepless night that lasted for two decades. In June, 2023 one of the officers of the Correctional Service AbdulKareem Awesu introduced my case to a Pastor and I spoke with him on phone. On 17th July, 2023, a group of Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation CJMR led by Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi visited us at the Ibara Correctional Service where they listened to all of us including the culprits who exonerated us, the organization went with all our judgement and shed light to our innocence. June 14, 2024 shall remain evergreen and memorable day in my life. Light shine upon me, rain fell on my head for the first time and I saw the moon for the first time.

I never knew I could pay for the sin of another man. How could I have committed an offense and still boldly walk into a police station to report myself?

I am grateful that the organization Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation intervened on my behalf, a beacon of hope in a sea of despair. Her belief in my innocence reignited the flame of justice within me, propelling me towards the possibility of redemption.

While I was in the prison, I learnt Computer and I graduated in Quranic School.

According to Pastor Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi, the Executive Director for Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation CJMR an NGO based in Ibadan who shed light to the innocence of Lukman Adeyemi and Ismaila Lasisi, “Our attention was drawn to the complaints of these two people on their claim of innocence by the Welfare Officer DCP Awesu, who invited us to come and help these people assuring us on their innocence and the effort made through the legal process without justice, we came down to Ibara Custodial Centre Abeokuta to hear from them.

“The two perpetrators confided on us that truly, they were the one who committed the crime that the two people were totally innocent of the crime, we adjusted our seats to hear them very well, it was a long drilling of questions on their parts, but yet they insisted on their innocence. What they said carry no weight in my ears until I read through the judgement that convicted them.

“We obtained their judgements both the trial court to the Supreme Court for our review, we noticed the presentation of the state before the appellate court could never allow the court to shift ground. Each of them filed separate appeal to the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

“We realized that none of the lawyers explore the way of arrest of each person in this case, this is what the lawyer at the trial court should have done but very unfortunate he couldn’t, failure of the perpetrators to clear them of the innocent of the crime could not have help them at that time. In the cause of probing the way of arrest of individual in the case unfolded the truth on this matter.

“In the record of proceedings, we stumbled on the evidence of the PW1, the police officer in charge of the case gave evidence before the Court that the first defendant was referred to him from Ilaro Police divisional office to Abeokuta with one Esther Shitu, then he jumped to how he arrested them and how the defender led him to Shaki in his father’s house, and how the head of the deceased was recovered under his bed in his room at his father’s house. While reading through their separate judgement it was a contradiction, they said they took the head of the deceased to the house of the herbalist at Sepeteri. Then I asked the first defender who was the lady that was arrested along with you from Ilaro to Abeokuta? He told us that was the lady he sent to go and call the deceased from the house of her husband in the morning, it was the lady the police first arrested, it was her arrest that led to the arrest of my elder brother, it was my elder brother who orchestrated my arrest.

“The second question: where did you take the head of the deceased to? He said; we took it to the Herbalist at Sepeteri who promised to make ritual money for them. Where is the herbalist and the lady? They have been released at the station. With all the analysis and the evidence in the record, we forwarded our findings to the office of the Attorney General of Ogun State and the Committee for the board of Prerogative of Mercy and they considered our appeal. It’s not about their story, it’s about the fact in the record which corroborated their story”

With the efforts of the Nigeria Correctional Service, the Attorney General of Ogun State, and Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun, Lukman Adeyemi’s innocence was finally recognized. The real perpetrators confessed, leading to his release. He expresses gratitude to all who played a role in his eventual freedom, acknowledging the challenges faced and lives lost during his wrongful imprisonment.

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