Amotekun Corps Arrests Herbalist Who Buried Two Children Without Wife’s Knowledge

– The suspect, Ogunfadeke Adeg­benga

One Ogunfadeke Adeg­benga., 45 year old herbalist and fa­ther of six stated that he did not inform his wife of the children’s death because she never checked on them since she left the marriage some ten years ago.

The Ogun State born suspect also said he could not locate where the two deceased children were buried because he only asked one ‘Aboki’, a wood cutter to help him bury one of the children behind the compound of the house where he lived while the second child was buried by a man named Henry who hails from Delta State.

He said, ‘I did not have strength to stand up then be­cause I was also sick but the Aboki showed my younger wife the shallow grave that the children were buried.”

He added that he sent the mother of the deceased chil­dren packing ten years ago be­cause she was flirting around.

It was reported that Ogunfadeke was arrest­ed by the South West Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, Ogun State Command, for alleged unlawful confine­ment, torture which resulted into the death of his two chil­dren.

The suspect was nabbed by Operatives of Amotekun Corps in Ibiade Waterside Local Gov­ernment Area of the state fol­lowing complaint of suspected murder reported by his ex-wife, one Busola Otusegun.

The complainant, when her marriage to the suspect broke up some years back, the ex-husband insisted he want­ed the custody of their three children whose age ranges from 18, 17, and 16 which was agreed upon. Though she relo­cated to Warri, Delta State and got married there, she was in constant touch with the suspect concerning the welfare of the three children and was always told all was well with them. She, however, did not have direct ac­cess to any of them (children).

It was gathered that on 30th March, 2023, one of the three children came across his aunty at Ibiade where he currently lives with his father (suspect) and narrated their experience with their father which led to the death of his two elder sib­lings – Yusuf Ogunfadeke ‘M’ 18 years and Dasola Ogunfad­eke ‘F’ 17 years between April and June, 2022 in Ijebu-Ode where they were all living with the suspect until he relocated to Ibiade.

He disclosed that their father (suspect) chained and locked them in a solitary confinement, without food and water for over three months which led to the death of the two siblings but he miraculously survived the ordeal.

The suspect, when inter­rogated, though admitted the alleged confinement of the children for months, denied not feeding them and being responsible for their death. Ac­cording to him, his action was based on the children’s involve­ment in stealing hence the need to ensure they were prevented from such criminal action. He further claimed that the two de­ceased were taken to hospital for treatment at different times they fell ill but unfortunately died in the process.

“What is however curious about his defence is that the hospital where he claimed the two children died in Ijebu Ode could neither be located nor where he allegedly buried them behind a rented apart­ment he lived in Ijebu-Ode be­fore relocating to his present abode in Ibiade with the third child for possible exhuma­tion.The fact that he refused to make the incidents known to any member of the family also gives cause for concern more so when the suspect is a herbalist, thus further fueling the suspicion of having killed the deceased for possible ritu­als,” the agency press release stated.

Narrating how it started, he said, “Two of my children, aged nine and thirteen were sick and I tried my best to take care of them but there was no money to treat them at the hospital. The elderly one that I managed to take to the hospital died few hours because I did not have money to buy blood.

“I managed to take one to the hospital and he passed on there. The younger child who was a female fell ill before the brother and they both died within the space of five months.”

However, reacting to the claim that he secretly buried the children, the 45-year old farmer and herbalist, Ogun­fadeke Adegbenga, said :It was a great mistake on his part for keeping mute on the death of the children and for hiding it from their mother for close to three years.

The Ogun-State born fa­ther of six stated that he did not inform his wife of the children’s death because she never checked on them since she left the marriage some ten years ago.

He also said he could not locate where the two deceased children were buried because he only asked one ‘Aboki’, a wood cutter to help him bury one of the children behind the compound of the house where he lived while the second child was buried by a man named Henry who hails from Delta state.

He said; ‘I did not have strength to stand up then be­cause I was also sick but the Aboki showed my younger wife the shallow grave that the children were buried.

He added that he sent the mother of the deceased chil­dren packing ten years ago be­cause she was flirting around.

The suspect, when inter­rogated, though admitted the alleged confinement of the children for months, denied not feeding them and being respon­sible for their death. According to him, his action was based on the children’s involvement in stealing hence the need to en­sure they are prevented from such criminal action. He fur­ther claimed that the two de­ceased were taken to hospital for treatment at different times, they fell ill but unfortunately died in the process.

“I only locked them up for three days, not months, I re­leased them after they apolo­gised and they didn’t fall sick until five months after the in­cident.

“I buried both children in the rented house where I was staying. I didn’t tell anyone about my children’s death, even neighbours because I don’t have where to bury them and if I tell anyone, they will not allow me to bury them at the backyard .

“My younger child, Wasiu knew about all that happened but refused to tell the truth. Wa­siu usually steal too and they used to beat him from outside, that is why he has all the bruis­es on his body.

“I am into farming and I am also a herbalist.I don’t do mon­ey ritual, if I do money rituals, I won’t be this poor. I divorced the mother because she was flirting around. I know three of her boyfriends and that is why we used to fight everyday then.”

When confronted with the fact that he inflicted injuries on Wasiu until he had the op­portunity to escape from home, he denied maltreating the boy because he refused to die like his older siblings.

He admitted beating the younger boy to correct him when he stole from his grand­mother.

He said he did not have strength to dig, that is why he could not bury the corpse of the deceased children when he took the Amotekun Corps to the spot he claimed to have buried them.

He, however, said he knows what the law says about mur­der. “I admit that I made a mis­take for not calling the mother to tell her, it’s because I did not have phone and money with me. I couldn’t even ask my neighbors because they don’t like me in that neigh­borhood.”

Consequently, the case is being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Depart­ment for further investigation with a view to establishing fur­ther facts that will facilitates his prosecution.