The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old mother of six, Sukurat Olajoke, for allegedly killing her one-month-old baby and dumping the corpse in the Ogun River.
The suspect reportedly confessed after her arrest that she was frustrated following the rejection of the baby by the supposed father and decided to kill the infant and throw it into the Ogun River at Lafenwa, Abeokuta.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Oyeyemi stated that Olajoke was apprehended by policemen attached to the Enugada Divisional Headquarters, Abeokuta, who were on a routine patrol with the Divisional Police Officer, SP Baba Hamzat.
According to him, the policemen saw the woman throwing something suspicious into the river and her behaviour afterward attracted the cops, who apprehended her for questioning.
Oyeyemi said, “It was during interrogation that the suspect, who lives at Agboole Alakoye area of Igbo Ora in Oyo State, confessed that what she threw into the river was the corpse of her one-month-old baby, whom she killed out of frustration.
“She confessed further that the person, who was responsible for the pregnancy, rejected her and the baby, and since she had no means of taking care of the baby girl, she decided to kill and throw her into the river.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had given birth to six other children for three different men before she became pregnant for one man simply identified as Hakeem, who denied the paternity of the child.
“The DPO later engaged the services of local divers, who helped in recovering the corpse of the child, and it has been deposited in the general hospital mortuary.”
The PPRO said the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the Homicide Section of the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
