Police authorities in Ogun State have arrested a trainee herbalist, Ifagbenga Taiwo, for allegedly killing his 41-day-old son in Keesi, Adatan, Abeokuta.
The suspect admitted to the crime but claimed he acted under the influence of a spell.
The unfortunate incident occurred last Monday when the infant’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, left the baby on a bed while washing clothes outside.
Upon returning, she discovered her son with his throat slit. Her cries for help attracted neighbors and the police, leading to Taiwo’s arrest.
Omolola Odutola, the spokesman of the command confirmed the arrest. She said that Wasilat had accused her husband of the heinous act.
During interrogation, Taiwo confessed to slitting his son’s throat with a knife, claiming he was unaware of his actions until it was too late.
Mr. Taiwo narrated feeling restless and uneasy on the day of the incident. He explained that he had returned home from his apprenticeship to retrieve some protective charms he had forgotten.
According to him, he felt an overwhelming compulsion to commit the crime, which he attributed to a supernatural influence.
He said, “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 realised 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.”
He noted that upon returning home, he did not meet his wife outside at the spot where she was washing clothes, and he went inside, picked a knife, and slit the throat of his 41-day-old 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 realised 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.
When asked if he had allegedly killed his son in an attempt to divorce his wife, Taiwo replied, “I love my wife, and I did not plan to divorce her. I don’t know how it happened. I have done it before I realised what I did.”
“I fled after doing it because I didn’t know what to do. I am sorry about what I did.”
He appealed to the government to show him mercy.