Trainee herbalist allegedly slaughters his two-month-old son for ritual in Ogun

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a trainee herbalist, Ifagbenga Taiwo, after his wife accused him of slaughtering their 41-day-old son for ritual purposes in the Keesi area of Adatan, Abeokuta. 

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday, December 9, 2024, after the baby’s mother, Raimat Wasilat, laid him on a bed while washing clothes outside their home.

According to reports, the mother returned inside after washing only to find her son’s lifeless body with a slit throat.

In two videos sighted online, residents of the area narrated how the gruesome incident happened.

The mother’s cry for help alerted neighbours, prompting them to gather at her home.

It was discovered that the suspected assailant had entered through the wooden window, slit the infant’s throat, and left him in a pool of blood.

“I was hearing some noise and we came to this house to check what was happening. It was when we entered the room that we realised someone had entered through the window and slit the throat of the baby,” a neighbour narrated.

“The mother was washing clothes outside at this spot (pointing to the spot) before she went inside and discovered the lifeless body of her son who was just 41 days old.”

Another resident, Mukaila Olaide, identified as the father of the infant’s mother, explained that they were drawn by the noise which prompted them to visit the house and find the slaughtered infant.

“We were sitting some distance away from the house when we heard a noise. It was the noise that led us to rush down to the house only to discover that the boy had been slaughtered,” he said. 

“That was all we saw. The police had come to pick up the mother and the husband to the station.”

The spokesperson of the command, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident in an interview with Punch on Tuesday, said the infant’s mother accused her husband of the gruesome murder, prompting the police to arrest him.

“At about 1400hrs, the police received a report from the Iteesi Itoko area in Abeokuta regarding the slaughter of a two-month-old infant, Ifakorede Ajani, inside the room where his mother had placed him on a bed,” the PPRO said.

“The mother, Raimat Wasilat, from Keesi, strongly suspected her husband, Ifagbenga Taiwo, who is training to be a herbalist. She alleges that he intended to use the child’s blood for rituals

“The suspect has been detained, the crime scene was investigated, and the body was transported to the hospital for autopsy

“Investigation is underway to discover the details of this horrific act.”