How Innocent Nigerian Man Spent 24 Years in Prison 

Lukman Adeyemi, a 50-year-old bricklayer, has been released after wrongfully spending 24 years in prison, including an excruciating 15 years on death row. His ordeal began in 2000 when he was just 26, accompanying a friend to a police station as a show of support.

When they got to the station, both were detained and subjected to brutal interrogations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) officers. Adeyemi described being tortured nearly to death and coerced into confessing to crimes he did not commit. 

The case involved the disappearance of a woman linked to his friend Ismaila Lasisi and some of Lasisi’s former acquaintances.

Despite their pleas and lack of involvement, in 2009, both men were sentenced to death. Appeals to higher courts, including the Supreme Court, failed, leaving them languishing in prison as their claims of innocence were continuously ignored.

It was in July 2023 that a breakthrough occurred. Deputy Superintendent of Correctional (DSC) AbdulKareem Awesu of the Correctional Service took an interest in their case, contacting the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR).

Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi of CJMR visited the Ibara Correctional Service to review their case.

During this visit, two individuals originally linked to the crime confessed to the actual perpetration, exonerating Adeyemi and Lasisi. This new evidence led Pastor Olujobi and his team to appeal directly to the Ogun State Attorney-General and the Committee for the Board of Prerogative of Mercy.

After extensive review, on June 14, 2024, both men were released, and their innocence was finally recognized. Adeyemi, stepping outside after 24 years, described the profound relief and surreal experience of feeling the rain and seeing the moon again.

Currently, both men are in the CJMR Halfway Home undergoing recovery and reintegration.