In a statement on X.com, Adeleke directed the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice to launch a full investigation into the case and initiate processes to grant the young man a prerogative of mercy.
The case, which has attracted widespread attention, reportedly involved a young man who was reportedly arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death by hanging in 2014 after being convicted of stealing a fowl.
The incident has raised questions about the severity of the punishment for what many consider a relatively minor offence.