The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two suspects in connection with separate cases of alleged maternal and infant deaths under suspicious circumstances in Akure and Emure-Ile.
This was made known in a statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, on Sunday.
According to the statement, the arrests followed incidents reported earlier in April involving childbirth complications handled outside recognised medical facilities.
In the first case, reported on April 16, a woman identified as Remilekun alerted authorities after her brother, Bawa Lawal, received news of the death of his wife, Blessing Lawal.
The deceased had reportedly gone into labour at a private residence in the Gloryland area, off Ado Road in Akure.
The residence was said to belong to one Elizabeth Aremu, who allegedly presented herself as a midwife.
According to the police, the woman developed complications shortly after delivery and died before she could be taken to a hospital.
Detectives who visited the scene reportedly discovered the lifeless body of a newborn infant wrapped in a sack. The suspect was subsequently arrested.
In a separate incident reported on April 11, Augustine Kufre informed police that his 20-year-old girlfriend, Genifer Sunday, was taken to a church in Emure-Ile after she went into labour.
The church’s prophetess, identified as Blessing Efiong, allegedly handled the delivery.
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Police said the newborn died at the scene, while the mother later died on the way to a hospital due to complications. The prophetess has also been taken into custody.
The police confirmed that investigations are ongoing in both cases, adding that the bodies of the deceased women and their infants have been deposited at the State Specialist Hospital in Akure and the Federal Medical Centre morgue for autopsy.
The commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, assured the public that thorough investigations would be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and to ensure that anyone found responsible is prosecuted.
He also urged residents to seek medical care from qualified and licensed healthcare providers, particularly during childbirth, warning against the dangers of unregulated facilities and untrained individuals posing as medical practitioners.
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property and vowed to continue taking decisive action against all forms of criminality in the state.