A 40-year-old woman, Nafisat Lateef, was on Thursday, March 5, remanded by a magistrate’s court in Ondo State over allegations that she poisoned her tenant’s three-year-old son following a disagreement with the child’s mother.
Lateef was arraigned before the court on charges related to the unlawful administration of a harmful substance.
According to the charge sheet, the incident occurred on February 4, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m. on Aliami Street, Omifon via Odigbo in Ondo State. She allegedly gave a liquid suspected to be poison to the boy, identified as Abdurasheed Musibau, causing him harm.
The prosecution said the act contravenes Section 320 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Lateef was also accused of administering a chemical substance to the child at the same time and location, an offence punishable under Section 22(1) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law of Ondo State.
After ingesting the substance, the child reportedly began vomiting and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received medical treatment.
Police detectives later arrested the suspect during what authorities described as a swift, intelligence-led operation.
Speaking in court, Lateef said the boy’s mother was her tenant and that they had previously lived together peacefully. She added that the woman often visited her shop and that she sometimes helped pick up the children from school.
Describing the incident, she told the court she had returned home intending to eat but suddenly felt an unusual urge.
“I don’t know what came over me. I went to my room and brought out the poison. The child was with me. I opened it and used the cover to pour it into his mouth. Immediately after, my senses returned,” she said.
Lateef said she then went to report the incident at the Ore Police Station before being directed to the police station in Odigbo.
“Please, my Lord, it was the devil’s handiwork,” she pleaded.
The prosecutor, ASP Martins Olowofeso, asked the court to remand the defendant to allow the police forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
Defence counsel, Godwin Bernard, did not oppose the request.
Magistrate Temitope Alphonso ordered that Lateef be remanded at the Surulere Correctional Centre and directed that the case file be sent to the DPP for review.
The case was adjourned until June 9, 2026, for mention and further legal advice.
