The police in Ogun State have arrested a woman, Adetutu Apalaya, for allegedly conniving with her husband, Lajuwon Ogunleye, a herbalist, and his friend, Fatai Sefiu, to murder her seven-year-old boy, Pelumi Apalaya.
Without showing any sign of sickness, Pelumi who lived with the couple in Abegi area of Ogun State, had reportedly slumped and died on the spot.
His sudden death was said to have aroused suspicion of some neighbours who trailed the couple and Sefiu to a bush where the corpse of the boy was reportedly buried mysteriously.
It was learnt that the incident was reported to the police at the Abegi Police Station and a team led by the Divisional Police Officer, SP Tarkighir Joseph, tracked down the suspects to the bush in the Iwopin area of Ijebu waterside on Wednesday.
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They led policemen to where the victim was buried and it was discovered that the deceased was buried in upright position after removing some parts from his corpse, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said.
“On interrogation, the second suspect, Fatai Sefiu, told the detectives that the boy was actually used for ritual by the stepfather (Ogunleye) in connivance with the deceased boy’s mother. He stated further that the couple had reached a conclusion before he was co-opted into the business,” Oyeyemi said in a statement on Saturday.
He stated that Apalaya initially denied knowledge of her husband’s plan to use Pelumi for ritual but later admitted to the crime.
He added, “She was dumbfounded when asked whether or not she followed them to the bush where her son was buried and the mode of burial of the boy.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
