‘Inhumane, wasteful’ – Falana faults Osun court’s sentence on hungry mechanic

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Prominent human rights advocate, Femi Falana, SAN, has condemned the recent three-year jail sentence handed to a 28-year-old auto mechanic, Akeem Jimoh, who was convicted for stealing 17 tubers of yam valued at ₦35,000 in Osun State.

Jimoh appeared before the Chief Magistrate Court in Osogbo on Wednesday, where he confessed to the theft and pleaded for compassion, explaining that his actions were driven by hunger.

Despite his plea, Magistrate Muibah Olatunji delivered a strict judgment, sentencing Jimoh to three years in prison with hard labour. The court did not offer him the alternative of a fine.

Reacting to the court’s decision, Falana criticized the punishment as both “inhumane and economically wasteful.”

“It is high time Nigeria adopted a humane sentencing policy. How does it make sense for the government to spend taxpayers’ money feeding and housing a convict jailed for stealing food items worth N35,000?” He queried.

Falana also emphasized that in several countries, thefts linked to hunger are no longer prosecuted as criminal offenses but are instead handled through social support systems.

He confirmed that his legal team has already initiated an appeal to contest both the conviction and the sentence imposed on Jimoh.

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