Father padlocks son's mouth, beats him to death

A Nigerian father has been arrested after he allegedly padlocked his son's mouth shut to stop him screaming while he battered him to death.

Chris Elvis, 30, allegedly accused four-year-old Godrich of being an 'Ogbanje' or 'child of evil' and blamed him for his bad luck in recent days.

The security guard beat his son, burned him all over his body with a hot iron and then locked him in a plastic drum, according to court documents.

The child's mother called police after returning from the market to find her son's horrific death.

Elvis tried to act mentally ill when he was arrested, but the authorities said his condition was normal, according to International Business Times.

He is being held in custody after being charged with murder.

The charge sheet reads: 'That you, Chris Elvis, on February 10, 2014, about 5pm at 7, Adetola Adelaja street, Meiran Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Godrich Elvis, aged four years by using hot pressing iron to burn him all over his body and putting him inside a plastic drum and locked the drum with padlock and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.'