“Man Jailed for Armed Robbery and Murder, Not Generator Theft” — Ogun State Govt Debunks Viral Story

The Ogun State government has debunked widespread claims that Ogbonna Ogbojionu, a recently released prison inmate, was wrongfully jailed for over two decades for merely buying a stolen generator.

Ogbonna, a generator technician from Abia State, was among the convicts granted state pardon this year by Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, as part of the 2025 Democracy Day celebrations.

His release followed interventions by civil rights advocates and public appeals led by the Abia State Government, which took up his case after social media accounts claimed he was an innocent man punished for another person’s crime. But Ogun State’s Attorney-General, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN, has now issued a detailed rebuttal, stating unequivocally that Ogbonna was properly tried and convicted for armed robbery and murder.

In a press statement, Ogungbade described the viral account of Ogbonna’s imprisonment as “entirely false,” clarifying that the convict was part of an armed gang that attacked an ELF petrol station on the Abeokuta-Lagos road on October 3, 2000.

During the robbery, the attackers severely injured one security guard and killed another before stealing a 10 KVA generator.

Ogbonna was specifically identified as the robber who unbolted and helped remove the generator. Days later, he was found in a vehicle transporting the stolen item concealed under bags of water sachets and firewood. He initially escaped police custody but was later tracked down and re-arrested after his co-conspirators were caught and led police to him.

Ogungbade stressed that Ogbonna made confessional statements at two different police stations, which were admitted in court without objection.

At trial, the prosecution called 11 witnesses, including the surviving guard and the man who unknowingly bought the stolen generator. Ogbonna and his co-defendants chose not to present any evidence or witnesses in their defense and instead rested their case on that of the prosecution.

“This man did not merely buy a generator—he participated in a violent robbery that claimed a life,” Ogungbade said. “The attempt to recast him as a victim is both dishonest and a grave disservice to the actual victims of the crime.”

**Ogbonna Ogbojionu** **and His Mother after released from prison**

Ogbonna was convicted and sentenced to death in January 2003. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2021, and he was only released in June 2025 through a discretionary exercise of the governor’s prerogative of mercy—not because he was found innocent.

The Attorney-General emphasised that the prerogative of mercy is not a right, but a privilege reserved for convicts who demonstrate genuine remorse and rehabilitation.

He warned against distorting facts and urged Ogbonna to “silently and gratefully enjoy his freedom,” rather than propagate falsehoods.

“Let us not forget the name Moses Bankole,” Ogungbade said, referencing the guard who died during the robbery. “He was the true and irredeemable victim of this crime.”