PUNCH
A trainee herbalist, Ifagbenga Taiwo, who was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly slaughtering his 41-day-old son in the Keesi area of Adatan, Abeokuta, the state capital, has disclosed that he carried out the act under a spell.
PUNCH Metro reported on Wednesday that the incident occurred last Monday after the baby’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, laid him on a bed while washing clothes outside their home.
Wasilat was said to have returned to the room and met his son with a slit throat, prompting her to raise the alarm, which attracted their neighbours and the police.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, disclosed that the wife had fingered her husband in his son’s death which prompted the police to take him into custody for further investigation.
Meanwhile, in an interrogation video obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, the suspect narrated how he used a knife to slit the throat of the infant.
He, however, blamed his action on the influence of a spell, stressing that he was not conscious of what he did until he had perpetrated the act.
According to Taiwo, on the day of the incident, he gave his wife a feeding allowance while going out to the place of his apprenticeship as she was washing some clothes outside.
He added that upon getting to his workplace, he realised that he had forgotten some charms, which he often used for protection at home and decided to return to pick them up.
He continued that while he was returning home, he realised that he was feeling uneasy and restless and that he felt like committing a crime.
Taiwo narrated in Yoruba (now translated), “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.”
