Men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested two persons over the disappearance of a newborn baby and the placenta of the baby at Isua, the headquarters of Akoko South-West Local Government of the state.

The suspects, Akinjise Ifeoluwa, 40, and Oyewole Margaret, 66, a herbalist and the grandmother of the missing baby, respectively.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said in a statement on Friday that the baby and the placenta went missing when the mother was unconscious after the delivery of the baby.

The PPRO said, “On the 1st of December 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, and 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 members.

“The police later arrested one in connection with the case. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that her mother, Oyewole Margaret, entrusted her care to a native doctor named Akinjise Ifeoluwa, who also claimed to be a prophet.”

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According to the police spokesperson, the mother of the missing baby stated that she got pregnant with the suspect (Akinjise), and he asked her to kill the baby.

“On the day of delivery, her mother and Akinjise were constantly communicating through the phone, and the prophet ordered her mother 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 the lady, as the prophet claimed she had slept with another man while pregnant for him, except her mother wants to lose her after 14 days.

“After she (the mother of the baby) regained her strength, her mother 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 were found.”

Odunlami said an investigation was still ongoing on the matter.