A 45-year-old man named Ogunfadeke has been detained by the Ogun State leadership of the Ametekun Corps for alleged unlawful imprisonment and torture that resulted in the deaths of his two children.
The mother of the victims, Busola Otusegun, reported the incident to the State Commander of Amotekun, CP David Akinremi (rtd), at Ibiade in the state's Ogun Waterside local government area, after learning that the two children in her ex-husband's custody passed away at some point last year as a result of victimization.
Akinremi said in an e-statement acquired by Vanguard that the father of three was arrested after the suspect's previous wife complained that the murdered children had been held captive and tormented by their father for months.
According to the complainant, her ex-husband insisted on having custody of their three children, whose ages vary from 18, 17, and 16, after their marriage to the suspect ended some time ago. This was agreed upon. Despite moving to Warri, Delta State, and being married there, she continued to communicate with the suspect about the welfare of the three kids and was constantly assured that everything was okay. But she didn't have access to any of them directly.
"On March 30, 2023, one of the three children told his aunty about their experience with their father, which resulted in the deaths of his two (2) older siblings, Yusuf Ogunfadeke (M), 18, and Dasola Ogunfadeke (F), 17, between April and June 2022 in Ijebu-Ode, where they were all living with the suspect until he moved back to Ibiade.
According to him, their father (the suspect) shackled and imprisoned them in solitary confinement for more than three (3) months without providing food or water, which resulted in the deaths of two siblings but miraculously allowed him to survive the experience.
The suspect acknowledged the alleged detention of the kids and claimed his actions were motivated by their unruly behavior.
"The suspect, when questioned, accepted the alleged detention of the children for months but denied failing to provide for their needs and being in charge of their deaths.
He claimed that the children's involvement in theft was the basis for his action, which is why it is important to take steps to ensure that they are shielded from doing similar crimes.
According to him, the two deceased were admitted to the hospital for treatment at various points, fell ill, and ultimately passed away.
What is odd about his defense, though, is that neither the hospital where he claimed the two kids died in Ijebu Ode nor the spot where he allegedly buried them behind a rented apartment where he lived in Ijebu-Ode before moving to his current residence in Ibiade with the third kid could be found for a potential exhumation. The refusal to tell any family members about the incidents also raises questions, especially since the suspect is a herbalist, which feeds the theory that he killed the victim for potential ritual purposes, the statement continued.
The Corps Commander announced that the case has been given to the Ogun State Police Command's Criminal Investigation Department for additional investigation.
