Our attention has been drawn to the rebuttal by the Osun State Government on our story on the amnesty granted by Governor Ademola Adeleke to Ganiyu Kehinde and 35 other criminals serving jail terms in both Ilesa and Ife Correctional Facilities.
Having perused the statement, we found out that the government was more interested in launching an attack on Insight Links than engaging the public. The government demanded a retraction but did not advance any justification for it.
In paragraph three of the said statement, the Osun Government looked for a convenient way of absconding from responsibility and deflected the matter to the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The government claimed the list was recommended, but at no point in the said statement did the Osun government reveal any investigation conducted by it on the said list before it was approved.
We affirm that a certain Ganiyu Kehinde confessed that he killed a Ghanaian friend and cut his throat for a money ritual. It is public knowledge that murder is a crime against the state, and it is the duty of any responsible government to prosecute it.
We express worry that the state government is more interested in attacking the story than addressing the details of the story. We read the said statement, and it is concerning that the government did not provide updates on the prosecution of Kehinde Ganiyu, the confessed murderer - crux of the matter.
Was Kehinde Ganiyu charged for stealing instead of murder? Is he still in custody? Has he been convicted? When was the last trial if he has not been convicted? Since the government is aware that a certain Kehinde Ganiyu confessed to murder and it announced a pardon for someone with the same name, we expect the government to have released his photograph for the public to be at rest that the released Kehinde Ganiyu is not the confessed murderer.
Apart from Kehinde Ganiyu, insinuations are rife in the public that some of the pardoned inmates are political touts and they were released purposely for the upcoming elections. To ease the tension, the government should release the photographs and offenses of the released inmates to the public. Had the Osun Government set up a committee that has reputable religious leaders, CSOs, senior lawyers, etc., to review the list before it was made public, maybe we would not be where we are now.
Indeed, the government missed the opportunity to address pertinent issues, and we are re-presenting it to them.
At Insight Links, we stand by our story. However, we are ready to acknowledge new and credible development that may be connected to this story. We are also ready to collaborate and work assiduously with the state government to enlighten the public and de-escalate tension when photograph(s) and detail(s) of Kehinde Ganiyu and the other 35 pardoned inmates are made public.
For us, impacting and enlightening the people with accurate information is more important.
We thank you.
Signed
Management
Insight Links
October 5, 2025
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