A trainee herbalist, Ifagbenga Taiwo, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly killing his 41-day-old son in the Keesi area of Adatan, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Taiwo claimed he committed the act while under the influence of a spell.
According to reports from Drivetvnews, the tragic incident occurred last Monday. The infant’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, had laid the baby on a bed and stepped outside to wash clothes. Upon returning to the room, she found her baby with a slit throat and immediately raised an alarm. Neighbors and the police responded promptly to the scene.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident and revealed that Wasilat accused her husband of killing their child. This led to Taiwo’s arrest for further investigation.
In an interrogation video obtained on Sunday, Taiwo admitted to slitting his son’s throat with a knife but attributed his actions to being under a spell. He claimed he was unaware of his actions until after the incident.
Recounting the events of the day, Taiwo explained that he had given his wife money for household expenses before leaving for his apprenticeship. While at work, he realized he had forgotten some charms at home, which he used for protection, and decided to return to retrieve them.
“When I got to work, I remembered I left my protective charms at home. So, I returned to pick them up,” he explained. However, after returning to work, he said he began to feel restless and overwhelmed by an urge to commit a crime.
Taiwo narrated in Yoruba, later translated to English:
“I returned home and didn’t find my wife outside where she had been washing clothes. I went inside the house, picked up a knife from my mother’s room, and approached my son. That’s the last thing I remember before I became conscious again.”
He said he was shocked to realize what he had done and fled the house through the back door in panic.
When asked if his actions were motivated by a desire to leave his wife, Taiwo denied it, insisting he loved her and had no intentions of separating from her. “I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t plan it. I realized what I had done only after it was too late.”
Expressing remorse, Taiwo appealed to the government for mercy, saying, “I am deeply sorry for what I have done. I wasn’t in my right mind when it happened.”
