The Ogun State Government has debunked viral claims suggesting that Ogbonna Ogboijonu was wrongly imprisoned for over two decades simply for buying a stolen generator.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, July 9, 2025, the government clarified that Ogbonna’s conviction stemmed not from a mere purchase but from his active participation in a violent armed robbery that resulted in the death of a security guard.
The incident reportedly occurred on October 3, 2000, when a group of armed men stormed an ELF petrol station along the Abeokuta-Lagos expressway. During the attack, one guard, Moses Bankole, was fatally shot, while another, Yusuf Akanni, sustained serious injuries. The robbers made away with a 10KVA Lister generator, which Ogbonna — identified as a generator technician — was alleged to have detached from its secured position.
Authorities revealed that Ogbonna was apprehended a few days later after police intercepted a vehicle smuggling the stolen generator hidden beneath bags of water and firewood. While two suspects escaped the scene, Ogbonna was arrested, escaped custody, and was later re-arrested. He subsequently led investigators to the buyer of the generator, who provided testimony during the trial.
Ogbonna was convicted of armed robbery by the Ogun State High Court in 2003 and sentenced to death. That sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2021. He regained his freedom in 2025 following a gubernatorial pardon under the state’s constitutional prerogative of mercy — a clemency measure that does not nullify the crime.
The government also noted that Ogbonna failed to testify in court or present any witnesses in his defense, emphasizing that his conviction was based on due legal process and available evidence.
Describing the widespread claims of wrongful imprisonment as “false and misleading,” the state government insisted that Ogbonna’s conviction was lawful and warranted.
