Cleric-cum-herbalist, hospital attendant steal baby’s placenta for rituals in Ilorin
An Islamic cleric-cum-herbalist and a hospital attendant have been linked to a missing placenta at a hospital in Ilorin.
Salaudeen Ibrahim and an attendant at Capstone Hospital, Fatima Suleiman, colluded to steal a placenta for ritual purposes.
Police authorities say Fatima delivered the placenta at Salaudeen’s place over a week ago, on October 31, rather than to the baby’s father as instructed by the doctor.
Salaudeen, who claimed to hold a Islamic studies certificate from Al-Hikmah University, said Fatima had approached him to ask if a placenta was good for ritual purposes and she took one to him weeks later.
“A month ago, she came to me to ask if baby placenta can be used for ritual purposes and I answered in the affirmative,” he said.
“And that was the last thing I discussed with her. And she left. Because she is an attendant in a hospital she told me that some people would leave their baby placentas for them to throw away.
“Later, I had even forgotten and she came with one about five days ago. She dropped the placenta, after her departure something told me to call her to come and take it away, and that I would not do the ritual.”
Just as it became clear he could land in trouble, Salaudeen said he decided to dispose of the placenta in a river.
“I called her to come and pick it away she refused to, not until she called me that the incident had been reported at the police station. Not to be implicated, I packed the placenta and threw into a nearby river. I thought, with that, I would get myself out of trouble but here am I,” he said.
Fatima, however, claimed she only delivered the placenta to Salaudeen as a favour, being his wife’s friend. She claimed he requested for one but she never received any money.
“This is the first time I would engage in such nefarious activity. When I called him the story had taken a twist. He said he had thrown into the river. He added that the placenta would not be efficacious as the baby was delivered via caesarian section,” she said.
