A 42-year-old man, Samuel Otasi, has been arrested by the Bayelsa State Police Command for allegedly poisoning his three sons following a pastor’s prophecy that the children were wizards obstructing his destiny.
According to a viral video shared across social media platforms on Monday, the tragic incident occurred after Otasi reportedly forced his sons—aged 10, 12, and 14—to ingest a poisonous insecticide, Sniper, in the forest with the help of a male relative, who has also been taken into custody.
The suspect allegedly acted on the directive of a pastor identified as George Odugo, who claimed during a prophecy session that the boys had been bewitched by their mother to ruin Otasi’s life and destiny.
Tragically, two of the boys died at the scene, but the youngest child miraculously survived the poisoning. Despite being severely injured and unconscious upon discovery, he later regained consciousness and provided police with a harrowing account of the incident.
According to the survivor, their father and uncle tied them up in the forest and forced them to drink the deadly chemical. Rope marks were clearly visible on the boy’s body, further confirming the brutality of the act.
Medical personnel attending to the survivor at an undisclosed facility confirmed that the child was in critical condition upon arrival but managed to recover enough strength to alert authorities to the location of his deceased siblings. By the time officers from Igbogini Divisional Headquarters arrived at the scene, the other two boys had already succumbed to the poison.
During a press visit to the crime scene, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police revealed wooden crates used to transport the deceased boys’ remains from the forest. He described the incident as “heartbreaking, gruesome, and a dangerous example of how religious manipulation can lead to inhuman acts.”
Police say investigations are ongoing, and both Otasi and the pastor are likely to face multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
