By Nurat Uthman
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two persons over the disappearance of a newborn baby at Isua, the headquarters of Akoko South-West Local Government of the state.
The suspects were a native doctor, Akinjise Ifeoluwa, 40, and the grandmother of the missing baby, Oyewole Margaret, aged 66.
Commenting on the case, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, stated that the baby and his placenta went missing while the mother was unconscious.
The PPRO said, “On December 1, 2023, a case of suspected murder was reported at Isua division that one Oyewale Oluwaseun who just gave birth couldn’t give a satisfactory account of her baby’s whereabouts.
“The complainant stated that his sister had been pregnant for nine months and observed that she had delivered but when asked about the baby, she claimed the baby had died and had been buried with the aid of their mother without informing any family member.
“The police later arrested one in connection with the case. In the course of an investigation, it was discovered that the baby’s grandmother, Oyewole Margaret, entrusted the new mother to a native doctor named Akinjise Ifeoluwa who also claimed to be a prophet.”
According to the police spokesperson, the mother of the missing baby stated that she got pregnant for the suspect (Akinjise) and he asked her to kill the baby.
“On the day of delivery, the grandmother and Akinjise were constantly communicating through phone and the prophet ordered her to block the child’s nostrils to enable the baby to die as it is an abomination for the baby to be alive because it will lead to the death of her daughter as the prophet claimed she had slept with another man while she was pregnant for him.
“After she (the mother of the baby) became conscious and regained her strength, Margaret informed her that the baby had died and the baby and the placenta had been buried. However, when the purported place of burial was visited, neither the baby nor the placenta was found,” the PPRO added.
Odunlami said investigation was still ongoing on the matter