Father allegedly kills, buries 14-year-old son over ‘habitual’ theft

Police arrest suspects in Owo cult clashes

A 34-year-old father of seven, Monday Elela, has been arrested by operatives of the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly killing and burying his son in a shallow grave due to “habitual” stealing. Elela, a bricklayer and farmer, in connivance with his wife, who is on the run, allegedly committed the crime at their home in the Ajowa Akoko area of the state.

While being paraded along with other suspected criminals at the state headquarters of the Nigerian Police in Akure, the state capital, the suspect, who admitted to beating his deceased son, denied killing him.

According to him, his deceased 14-year-old son, Tope Elela, was a frequent visitor to police stations and Amotekun Corps cells due to constant theft, which had been embarrassing the family.

He said: “Out of my seven children, he was the one causing us the most problems. All he did was break into people’s houses. He was well-known in our neighbourhood and had been arrested by the police many times, but he wouldn’t change.

“The last incident involved the Amotekun operatives, who arrested him and took him into their custody. While in custody, he escaped through a small opening created for air ventilation in the cell. He broke the iron bars and jumped the fence to escape.

“We were at home when the Amotekun members called us and said our son had escaped. We began to search for him along with some of their officers. But we later found him where he had gone to hide, and we took him home.

“Upon arriving home, we only spanked him with our hands for his wrongdoings and the embarrassment he had caused us. However, we were unaware that he had already been injured while with the Amotekun members. After we spanked him, he ate his food, took a bath, and went to sleep.

“It was at daybreak that we instructed his younger brother to wake him so that we could all go to the farm. When he didn’t respond, we realised that he had died.

“I quickly rushed to where he was sleeping with his mother, and we confirmed that he had already passed away. So, we took his body and buried it in our backyard. We did not kill him. He is the third child among my seven children.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi disclosed the arrest of several individuals on the police’s wanted list in connection with last week’s cult-related clashes in Owo, the headquarters of the Owo Local Council of the state.

Identifying the suspects as Adeola Bero and Olabode Ojo, also known as “Popo,” the police commissioner stated: “The duo of Bero Adeola, male, 30, and Olabode Ojo, male, 30, (a.k.a. Paw Paw), who claimed that his brother’s wife and child were killed in the melee, were arrested in their hideout in Akure.

“They both confessed to being members of the Aye cult group and claimed that the Eiye and Aiye groups were engaged in the fighting.

“The suspects claimed they left Owo due to the fighting because they did not want to be involved,” he added.