POLICE in Ogun State have arrested one Idowu Sikiru for burning the buttocks, mouth and fingers of his five-year-old son, Segun Sikiru, in a hot pan for stealing boiled fish.
The angry father who resides at Itowo in Oke Sopen area of Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, was arrested after a member of the public alerted the police at Ijebu Igbo Divisional Headquarters that the suspect was about to kill the boy.
Spokesperson of the command Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a release on Sunday, said the the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ijebu Igbo Division, Kazeem Solotan, a Superintendent of Police, led a team of detectives to arrest the suspect.
Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said that investigation revealed that the suspect put an aluminum plate on fire and when it was red hot, he forcefully sat the boy on it, inflicting serious burns on his buttocks after he had accused him of stealing fish.
Oyeyemi added that the boy’s father also used the hot plate to burn his fingers and part of his mouth.
According to him, the boy has been taken to the hospital for treatment while the Commissioner of Police Kenneth Ebrimson has directed that the suspect be transfered to the anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department.
Abimbola said the suspect would be prosecuted upon conclusion of investigation.

By Ernest Nwokolo