CRIME: Woman Jailed 6 Years For Burying Her 2-yr-old Baby Alive

An 18-year-old mother of one, Adeola Joseph, was yesterday sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour for burying her child alive.

Magistrate Olusola Aluko, of Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo, ordered the mother of one to serve the jail term with hard labour, saying she did not deserve to be in the midst of human being as she looked unrepentant of her action.

“The convict is callous and may not change from her devilish act,” the magistrate said.
Joseph was said to have buried her only child, Fatiat Nafiu, at her residence located at Ijetu area of the state capital alive, but the child was rescued by a good samaritan.

According to the police prosecutor, Mr. Solomon Oladele, the convict buried her child in the early hours of Monday, Feb. 18, 2012, but the child was rescued by one Prophetess Tunrayo Akinwande who lived around the area.

Oladele said the intervention of Prophetess Akinwande and other residents of the area, who exhumed Fatiat from the grave and took her to the hospital, saved the two-year old innocent baby from death.

The court had slammed a three-count charge attempted murder, felony and breach of peace to which she pleaded guilty and asked the court to temper justice with mercy.

She claimed that her parent were not favourably disposed to her marriage with the child’s father and that she had been catering for the baby alone without any asistance.

She also told the court that she decided to kill the baby as she wanted to relocate to Lagos in search of a job and could not bear the responsibilities of the baby in addition to hers in Lagos.