Gbenga Ogunfadeke, a 45-year-old father of three, has been detained by the Ogun State Security Network, Amotekun Corps, for allegedly causing the deaths of his two children by beating them and locking them in solitary confinement. According to a statement by the State Commander of Amotekun, David Akinremi, the suspect was apprehended in Ibiade, Waterside LGA of the state, after his ex-wife, Busola Otusegun, lodged a complaint against him. He had been abusing the children, aged 16 to 18, since he obtained custody of them following his failed marriage to their mother. The two older children, Yusuf Ogunfadeke (18) and Dasola Ogunfadeke (17), died between April and June 2022 in Ijebu-Ode, where they lived with the suspect before he moved to Ibiade. One of the children survived and reported the incidents to their aunty in Ibiade, where the family currently resides.
While the suspect admitted to imprisoning the children for months, he denied depriving them of food and being responsible for their deaths, instead claiming that they had been admitted to the hospital for treatment at various points after becoming ill. However, the fact that the hospital where the children died in Ijebu Ode and the location of the house where they were reportedly born before moving to Ibiade cannot be located raises suspicions about his defense. The suspect’s profession as a herbalist, coupled with his refusal to inform any family members of the events, further raises concerns that he may have been involved in ritualistic practices.
