Men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested an attendant at a mission in Akure, the state capital, Prophetess Folashade Kikiowo Adekola, over the death of a pregnant woman, Jumoke Adesuwa, who bled to death due to complications during childbirth.
The 28-year-old mother, who had been in the church for many days, was said to have left her home for spiritual cleansing towards safe delivery without her husband’s knowledge, reports Nigerian Tribune.
The Prophetess, Adekola, the Pastor-in-Charge of Christ Engracing Deliverance Ministry, Off Ilupeju Street, Oke-Aro area of Akure, who delivered the baby, encountered difficulties during the process, while the baby died almost immediately and the mother bled to death.
The prophetess was subsequently arrested by the police in the area after the deceased’s brother reported the matter at Oke Aro Police Station.
The mother of the baby was said to be rushed to the hospital, but all efforts to revive the mother were not successful, and she died a few hours after getting to the hospital.
A family source who spoke to our correspondent explained that the deceased’s husband, Ayodele Adesuwa, had given her money to register at the government hospital, and she did not inform the husband about her plans to visit the church.
She said, “The husband of the deceased came from the farm in Idanre after being away for five days and did not know the whereabouts of his wife, but the neighbours told him the woman had been in church for some time.
“Someone from the church called in the evening to inform the husband that his wife has delivered a baby. The deceased’s husband called me, and we rushed to the said church called ‘Muzuzo’ at Oke-Aro.
“When we got there, we were told that the baby died in the process, but the mother was alive. On sighting the deceased, we saw her in her pool of blood, bleeding profusely. So, we rushed her to a nearby hospital.
“Due to her condition, she was rejected at three hospitals and she died in the process of reviving her in the last hospital that admitted her.
“To our surprise, we got to the church to collect the baby’s remains and we found the corpse in a room in the church. The condition of the room was very worrisome, as it does not look like a delivery room.
“We approached the Oke-Aro Police station in Akure to report the case that led to the arrest of the prophetess in charge. The remains of the woman have been deposited at the mortuary.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the incident and said the woman and her baby died during delivery.
The PPRO said the prophetess has been arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).
She said the case was reported by the brother of the deceased while the investigation is still ongoing.
