Bamidele Adeyemi: Family Urges Ogun Governor to Uphold Life Sentence




Aina Obasanjo 


Six years after the death of Bamidele Adeyemi during the COVID-19 lockdown in Abeokuta, Ogun State, his family is appealing to Governor Dapo Abiodun not to grant executive clemency to one of the men serving a life sentence over his death.

Bamidele, a father of two, was killed in 2020 after he reportedly refused to unlawfully reopen a restricted community security gate in the Onikolobo area of Abeokuta.

According to his family, he was carrying out his duties as a member of the local community security committee when he was attacked.

The family alleges that Ajayi Olayinka and his accomplice, Oguntayo Ayobami, attacked Bamidele with broken bottles and knives, injuries which eventually led to his death.

The two men were prosecuted before the Ogun State High Court, Sagamu Judicial Division, in a case marked Suit No. AB/1C/2021.

In a judgment delivered by Justice P.F. Oduniyi on June 19, 2023, the court convicted both men of manslaughter following a plea-bargain arrangement and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment on two counts.

The matter has, however, resurfaced following an application by Olayinka for a state pardon.

In a letter dated February 21, 2025, his counsel appealed to Governor Abiodun to exercise the constitutional power of prerogative of mercy, arguing, among other things, that the killing was not premeditated.

But the family has rejected the plea, saying any pardon would reopen wounds that have remained painful since Bamidele’s death.

In a petition dated September 25, 2026, and signed by Bamidele’s sister, Oluwayemisi Adesanya, the family urged the governor to allow the court’s judgment to stand.

The family says the consequences of Bamidele’s death have continued to affect his loved ones.

According to the petition, his widow was left to raise their two children—a daughter who was ten years old when her father died and a son who was only eight months old.

The family also says Bamidele’s parents suffered serious health complications following the tragedy. His mother died in 2025, while his father died in 2026.

The family has also disputed claims that the convict’s rehabilitation in prison, including obtaining a university degree from the National Open University of Nigeria, should be a basis for his release.

It maintains that while education and rehabilitation are important, they cannot restore the life that was lost or erase the impact of the tragedy on Bamidele’s family.

The bereaved family is therefore appealing to Governor Abiodun to reject the application for clemency, saying that a pardon would further deepen their pain and undermine the significance of the court’s judgment.


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