It sure sounds strange, but it is very true. Recently, Ogbomoso, a sprawling town in Oyo State, was thrown into confusion as a mysterious baby was discovered near the grave of a grand old man, Pa Ganiyu Akande, who had just died.
Even now, the entire community is still engulfed in confusion as no one could explain the sudden appearance of the unknown baby that also died soon after the strange discovery.
The incident happened at Abede House in Ogbomoso, a shouting distance to the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi, AJagungbade 11. In fact, the monarch himself confirmed the incident.
Many people in the town insist it was the late Pa Akande who reincarnated in the form of the baby.
The old man hailed from Iseyin town in Osun State and eventually came to live in Abede town in Ogbomoso. In his lifetime, Pa Akande had no child and was not married to any woman. His attempts at marriage failed since he was said to be impotent.
Madam Sidikat Akande, a family member of Pa Aknde, was taking care of the old man when he died. She told our reporter that the man was about 100 at the time of his demise. She said Pa Akande was very religious and was an Imam at the Abede Mosque in Ogbomosho. He was also the mosque’s muezzin before he died, according to the woman.
One fateful afternoon, Pa Ganiyu passed on peacefully on the lap of Sidikat Akande, his goddaughter. His burial was quickly arranged according to Muslim rites. After the customary prayers by the Islamic clerics, the man was buried at the back of his house.
Few minutes after his burial, even while the tears of the mourners were still fresh in their eyes, a strange thing happened. One Mosunmola Akande, one of Pa Ganiyu’s relatives, said she was tidying up things at the backyard when she discovered some unusual movement under the mat just used to cover the grave. According to her, she was shocked to see a new baby cooling off under the mat. Alarmed, she screamed and soon had everyone rushing to the scene to see the strange thing.
The incident was quickly reported to the Ogbomoso monarch whose palace is just a stone’s throw to the scene. Many women wailed and cursed the heartless mother of the innocent baby. But they also wondered how a day old baby could be dumped on the dead man’s burial ground, and covered with the burial mat without the knowledge of anyone at the crowded scene.
Tongues wagged as the rumour spread across the town that Pa Ganiyu’s ‘secret lover’ might have dumped his day old baby on his burial mat after his death. The Soun of Ogbomoso sent words round the town, making entreaties to the mother of the baby boy to show her face. He assured that she would not be punished, saying her plight was understandable. She would rather be blessed with gifts and resources to cater for the baby, the monarch assured.
But days ran into weeks, and no one came for the baby. Then, many thoughts began to run into the minds of Pa Ganiyu’s relatives. They remembered that the old man had said that something strange would happen after his death and had assured them not to panic as such thing was tied to his destiny.
The deceased’s relatives now thought that the old man must have reincarnated as the baby. First, they said the baby had a striking resemblance with Pa Ganiyu. “Again, the baby would also position itself in a prayerful mood whenever the call for prayer was made at the mosque. According to Mrs. Sidikat Akande, Okikiola, as the baby was later christened, would raise his hands up in the same manner Pa Ganiyu did whenever he called other Muslims for prayers at the Abede mosque.
