Olabisi Abubakar, a 42-year-old Nigerian woman residing in Cardiff, Wales, has been arrested by the police in the United Kingdom, for allegedly starving her son to death during the coronavirus pandemic that struck in 2020.

Abubakar was charged with manslaughter after Taiwo, her three-year-old son, died as a result of a religious fasting she compelled him to partake in during the period.

According to the Mail Online, Abubakar claimed “she had locked herself away” during the crisis. The police was called to rescue the Nigerian after a friend reportedly raised concerns over her welfare.

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Prosecutors told the Crown Court of Cardiff that the police had to forcefully gain entrance into Abubakar’s residence in the Cathays area on June 29, 2020, adding that she was thin, malnourished and dehydrated when she was found. At the time, she was said to have placed her baby by her side on a sofa bed.

During the proceeding, a pathologist made it known that Taiwo had died from malnutrition and dehydration.

The police also informed the court that the woman had been detained in a hospital where she was receiving medical treatment for paranoid schizophrenia.

The Nigerian was said to be fasting as part of her faith as a pentecostal christian.

Prosecutors were also able to establish that she caused her young son to fast, depriving him of both food and water, due to fears of the coronavirus pandemic and personal pressures.

Abubakar, however, repeatedly denied the allegation, saying that children should not be made to fast until they turn 12.

Abubakar was said to have told the police that she had fallen asleep on June 26, with the belief she was in heaven before she was brought back to life when they arrived in the company of her neighbour.

“Olabisi Abubakar said she couldn’t explain what happened to her. She was asleep on the bed and that is what she remembered last. She said she believed she was being punished by God,” said Peter Donnison, the prosecuting lawyer.

Abubakar reportedly said that “she saw herself among the dead in heaven”, and that “she later saw the angels of God and they brought her back to life”.

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Abubakar, who was said to have been born in Lagos State, relocated to the United Kingdom in 2011.

If the court finds that she was mentally ill at the time, she could be freed and allowed to go home upon the conclusion of the case.