Fake midwife, prophetess in Ondo police net over maternal deaths

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a suspected fake midwife and a prophetess over separate cases of maternal and infant deaths in Akure and Emure-Ile.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the arrests followed incidents recorded under suspicious circumstances.

In the Akure case, a woman identified as Elizabeth Aremu, who allegedly posed as a midwife, was accused of handling a childbirth at a private residence in the Gloryland area off Ado Road.

Police said the victim, Mrs. Blessing Bawa, developed complications after delivery and died before she could be taken to a hospital, while the lifeless body of her newborn was later found wrapped in a sack at the scene.

In a separate incident in Emure-Ile, a prophetess, Blessing Efiong, was accused of conducting a delivery for a 20-year-old woman, Genifer Sunday, inside a church.

“The newborn reportedly died at the scene, while the mother later died on the way to the hospital following complications,” the statement read.

The police said both suspects had been taken into custody, while the remains of the deceased mothers and their babies had been deposited in morgues for autopsy.

The command assured that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incidents and prosecute those found culpable.