Death row inmates: CJMR petitions five South-West governors
The letter signed by Pastor Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi, the Founder and Executive Directorof CJMR stated that when a death sentence hangs over a person whose conviction raises serious unresolved questions, every year of silence carries a human cost.
According to him, “CJMR has already submitted the detailed case reports and supporting court records to the Attorney General of each state concerned. We are making this open appeal because, despite our documented submissions and continued advocacy since 2023, several petitions remain without a substantive response. Meanwhile, the individuals concerned continue to spend their lives behind bars, some facing death sentences.
“The Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR) respectfully appeals to Your Excellencies to give urgent attention to the petitions already submitted to your respective administrations. Some of the individuals concerned have spent nearly 25 years behind bars. Others remain on death row while their appeals are stalled or their pleas for mercy await a substantive response,” he said.
CJMR added that since 2023, it has pursued interventions through prison visits, independent examination of Certified True Copies of court records and documented appeals to the appropriate authorities, adding that “our advocacy is peaceful, respectful and free from hostility towards government. We engage public authorities with credible evidence and dignified appeals to secure justice, protect human rights and achieve meaningful results.
In 2024, CJMR helped secure the freedom of two people who had spent 24 years behind bars by presenting credible evidence, which was examined and verified by the Ogun State Attorney General. In 2026, the Ogun State Governor also granted clemency to two individuals whose cases CJMR presented, after periods of nine and 16 years on death row.
“These interventions demonstrate why the pending petitions in other states deserve careful attention. Every successful intervention brings further complaints from behind prison walls—people pleading that someone should examine the records of their convictions. We received complaints concerning 19 cases involving 32 individuals.
“These interventions began with appeals for assistance forwarded to CJMR through custodial welfare officers in different states. We did not seek out these individuals to initiate complaints; their pleas of innocence reached us through the welfare officers of their respective custodial centres.
“In response, we visited the individuals concerned and obtained Certified True Copies of court records for independent review. Our findings arose from examining those records alongside their complaints. Of these 32 individuals, we have reviewed cases involving 27 inmates across Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos States. These 27 individuals are the subject of this appeal for mercy and justice. The remaining five are awaiting attention or the acquisition of court records needed for independent review,” Olujobi reiterated
He added that out of the 27 inmates, four are serving life sentences for kidnapping and rape in custodial centres in Lagos and Ekiti States. The remaining 23 are on death row following convictions for offences including murder, armed robbery and killings described as ritual murder.
“We recognise the gravity of these offences. However, the seriousness of an allegation must never replace the need for credible evidence. 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.
Across states, the breakdown of the 27 individuals whose cases raise serious concerns are; Oyo State: 3 individuals; Osun State: 6 individuals; Ekiti State: 9 individuals; Ogun State: 6 individuals and Lagos State: 3 individuals.
“Our review revealed circumstances requiring urgent attention. Some individuals have exhausted their appeals up to the Supreme Court. Others have appeals stalled for years. Some have spent approximately 15 years on death row without any appeal being pursued. We also encountered appeals reportedly pending before the Court of Appeal for five to eight years without determination.
“Some inmates have lost confidence in the prospect of obtaining justice through further appeals. Some lawyers have expressed discouragement over the cost of continuing proceedings and the repeated affirmation of convictions they believe warrant closer scrutiny.
“Meanwhile, serious questions remain unresolved, and people continue to spend their lives behind bars under convictions that CJMR’s review indicates may be unjust<” Olujobi emphasized.
He concluded that, “Your Excellencies, please give these petitions your urgent attention. Let justice and mercy bring renewed hope to those whose voices have remained unheard for too long. Silence in the face of credible evidence of injustice prolongs suffering. Ignoring the groaning of the voiceless and the pleas of the innocent is a grave moral failure for which we are accountable before God.
“These petitions place their suffering before you. We respectfully appeal to you to examine the evidence and act. Every further delay is another portion of a human life that can never be restored.”
CJMR further appealed to Nigerians at home and abroad and all well-meaning Nigerians, to join this peaceful call for justice.
“Speak for the voiceless. Let your voice help secure justice and mercy for those who cannot reach the authorities themselves. Behind every case file is a human life. Behind every prolonged detention is a family waiting, suffering and hoping,” it said.