A 41-day-old baby, Zainab Olajide, has died after
she was allegedly poisoned by her father, Kazeem Olajide, in a desperate
attempt to divorce his wife.
The incident happened at about 7am on Friday at
Toluwalase Estate, Ijoko-Abule, in the Lemode area of Ogun State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the mother,
Abosede Ogundare, had left Zainab with Kazeem to sweep the compound only to
come back and met the baby with foams gushing out from her mouth.
It was learnt that Ogundare alerted neighbours to
the incident having found a bottle containing pesticide with her husband.
Zainab was said to have been rushed to a hospital
in the community, where she eventually died.
Our correspondent learnt that the suspect, who
hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, attempted to flee, but was held by residents,
while the landlord of the house reported the case to the monarch of the
community, Oba Solomon Sokunbi.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the father was
handed over to policemen at the Agbado Police Division after he confessed to
the crime before the monarch.
The couple’s residence was locked up when our
correspondent visited the community on Tuesday.
A resident, who identified himself only as
Biodun, said Kazeem had been threatening to divorce his wife before the baby’s
untimely death.
He said, “He doesn’t love the woman and has been
trying to divorce her. He poisoned the innocent baby to actualise his mission.
They recently moved to this estate. She was their only child.”
The landlord of the house, who did not want his
name in print, said the suspect had denied being Zainab’s father prior to the
incident.
He said, “Three days before the incident, Kazeem
(Olajide) was looking for a pair of his slippers. When he did not find it on
time, he started raining curses. I called him by his daughter’s name, and tried
to caution him, but he warned me not to call him by her name again. It was when
the incident happened that I realised he might have intentionally killed the
child.”
Sokunbi, the Oba of Ijoko-Lemode, said Kazeem
owned up to the act, claiming that he was pushed by the devil. He said he had
been following the case to ensure that the suspect was brought to justice.
He said, “It was the landlord who came to report
the case to me and I directed my chiefs to bring him and the wife to the
palace. I asked the husband and he confessed. He said it was the handiwork of
the devil.
“I called the police from the Agbado Police
Division to arrest him. They said he had been transferred to the state command
headquarters. I have been following the case. This is a pure murder case and I
want the police to duly prosecute the suspect and let him face the law.”
The monarch added that Kazeem’s wife told him in
the presence of his chiefs that she saw the bottle with him two days before the
incident.
He said, “The woman thought the bottle contained
herbs. She said she left the child with him to sweep the compound, only to
return and met Zainab gasping and foaming in the mouth. She said she smelled
pesticide in the baby’s mouth.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer,
DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed that the case had been transferred to the command
headquarters, adding that Zainab’s remains had been deposited in a mortuary.
Adejobi said, “The corpse of the baby has been
deposited in a mortuary. The case has been transferred to the Department of
Criminal Investigation for further investigation.
“We have the suspect with us and he is going to
be properly investigated. He and others found culpable in the course of our
investigation will be charged to court.”
Source:Punch
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