The Ogun State Police Command has arrested Ifagbenga Taiwo, a trainee herbalist, for allegedly slaughtering his 41-day-old son in the Keesi area of Adatan, Abeokuta.
Taiwo has claimed that he carried out the act under the influence of a spell.
Incident Details
The tragic incident occurred last Monday when the baby’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, laid him on a bed while washing clothes outside their home.
Upon returning to the room, Wasilat discovered her son was dead and immediately raised the alarm, attracting neighbors and the police.
Police Investigation
Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and disclosed that Wasilat had accused her husband of their son’s death, prompting the police to take Taiwo into custody for further investigation.
According PUNCH Newspaper, Taiwo blamed his actions on the influence of a spell, stating that he was not conscious of what he did until after the act.
Taiwo’s Account
According to Taiwo, on the day of the incident, he gave his wife a feeding allowance before going to his apprenticeship.
Realizing he had forgotten some protective charms at home, he returned to retrieve them. Taiwo described feeling uneasy and restless, with an urge to commit a crime.
“I didn’t go home on Sunday due to engagements at work. I went home on Monday, and when I got home, I took my bath, gave my wife a feeding allowance, and left the house. It was when I got to work that I realized I had left the charms I used for self-protection at home. So, I went home to pick them up. After I picked them up, I returned to work. About an hour after I had returned to work, I just felt a breeze blow at me, and I began to feel uneasy. It was like something was circulating in my body, and I felt like committing a crime,” Taiwo narrated in Yoruba.
Upon returning home, Taiwo did not find his wife outside and went inside, where he picked a knife and killed his son.
“When I got home, I did not meet my wife at the spot where she was washing clothes. I went inside, and I continued feeling that I should commit a crime. I went into my mum’s room and picked a knife we had purchased in the Kuto market some time ago. I took the knife and went to where my son was laid, and that was what I remembered last before I came back to consciousness. When I realized that my son had been killed, I was wondering what had happened, and I was surprised. I had to flee through the back door of our house,” Taiwo said in the video.
Herbalist Tests His ‘Bulletproof’ Charm on Himself
Previously, Legit.ng earlier reported that a herbalist named Ismail Usman sustained life-threatening injuries while testing a self-made ‘bulletproof’ charm in Kuchibuyi village, Abuja on November 23.
Usman shot himself in the stomach with a locally fabricated gun after fortifying himself with the charm, which failed to protect him.
