How I Spent 24 Years In Prison For Following Friend To Police Station – Lukman Adeyemi
Lukman Adeyemi Spends 24 Years in Prison for Accompanying Friend to Police Station
An innocent bricklayer, Lukman Adeyemi, who endured 24 years in prison, has finally been released and is now sharing his harrowing experience. Adeyemi, 50, was only 26 when he accompanied a friend to the police station and ended up being detained. He was freed on June 14, 2024, after spending nine years in pre-trial detention and 15 years on death row.
Narrating his ordeal, Adeyemi explained that he went to the police station with his friend Ismaila Lasisi, who had been asked to report by the police. Upon arrival, both were arrested and subjected to severe physical and psychological torture by SARS officers, leading to coerced confessions for crimes they did not commit.
“I am Lukman Adeyemi, from Iwerele, Iwajowa Local Government, Oyo State, a bricklayer by profession. In August 2000, after returning home from work, I accompanied my friend Ismaila to the police station, where we were both detained. We were tortured over a crime we knew nothing about, the murder of a woman hired by some former friends of Ismaila. Despite our innocence, we were charged along with the real culprits,” Adeyemi recounted.
In 2009, they were sentenced to death. Appeals to higher courts, including the Supreme Court, failed. “My pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears. People questioned why my name was mentioned if I was innocent. It was a nightmare that lasted two decades,” he said.
In June 2023, Deputy Superintendent of Correctional Services AbdulKareem Awesu brought Adeyemi’s case to the attention of Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, the Executive Director of the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR). The organization investigated and found evidence of their innocence. “On July 17, 2023, CJMR visited us and listened to our stories. They shed light on our innocence,” Adeyemi said.
Pastor Olujobi confirmed that the real perpetrators admitted to the crime, exonerating Adeyemi and Ismaila. “We reviewed their judgments and found contradictions. We presented our findings to the Attorney-General of Ogun State, and the Board of Prerogative of Mercy considered our appeal,” Olujobi explained.
Adeyemi expressed profound gratitude to CJMR, stating, “Their belief in my innocence reignited hope and justice. June 14, 2024, will always be memorable. I never imagined paying for another man’s crime. I am now at CJMR’s Halfway Home for recovery and reintegration.”
Pastor Olujobi emphasized the importance of justice, “Our findings corroborated their story, leading to their release. It’s not just about their narrative but the evidence supporting their innocence.”
