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.