Man suspects foul play after his three missing children were found dead beside a stream in Ondo

A security guard, Samuel Jonah, has appealed to the police and other security agencies to unravel the mystery behind the sudden deaths of his three children, whose bodies were found beside a stream within the precinct of the Owena Army Barracks in Akure, the Ondo State capital

The siblings were identified as 11-year-old twins Joshua and Jacob Jonah, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah.

Narrating the incident, Mr Jonah, who works as a security guard within the barracks, said he, his wife and the three children had gone to the farm on Friday, 4 September to do some work.

He said after some time he left the farm to go and collect his salary, while his wife also went to attend a ceremony somewhere in Akure.

He further stated that before they left, they instructed the children to return home at 6 p.m, but that by 8 p.m. they had not returned, prompting the search for them.

“I told them that their mother and I would be going home, and that they could continue playing around but should return home at 6 p.m. Their mother and I later went somewhere. By 6 p.m., we returned home, but I did not see my children,” he said.

Mr Jonah, who said he had routinely taken his children to the farm before the tragedy, said he became increasingly worried when the children had not returned home by 8 p.m.

“I began to think that something was wrong. I took my motorcycle and rushed to the farm,” he added.

He said that apart from alerting the military police at the barracks immediately, he also contacted friends and other acquaintances to help search for the children.

He said he also checked at their church, thinking the children could have gone there, but they were not found.

The grieving father, who has lived in Akure since 2003, said he was called the following day that the children had been found dead beside a river.

Foul play?

Although the initial suspicion was that they could have drowned in the water, Mr Jonah said the circumstances surrounding their deaths were too suspicious to be dismissed as drowning.

According to him, the children’s bodies were neither sufficiently wet nor did their stomachs contain water when they were found dead.

He also said he observed blood coming from their ears and from the body of his youngest daughter.

Mr Jonah maintained that the death of his children could be as a result of foul play, as his observation of their bodies shows, urging security agencies to help unravel the true circumstances of their death.

He said that though he has no direct proof, he wants authorities to investigate thoroughly.

The children’s uncle, Mazi Hassan, described the incident as shocking and called for justice.

“Three children from one family cannot just die like that. Government should investigate and bring those responsible to book,” Mr Hassan said.

Police, army speak

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command said it has commenced an investigation into the deaths of the three children.

The police spokesperson in the state, Jimoh Abayomi, said the children were left on the farm and their father reportedly discovered that they were missing after he arrived home.

He said a search operation was subsequently launched, leading to the discovery of the bodies of the three children on Saturday, 5 September, near the bank of a small river on the farm.

“The Command is diligently documenting all available facts and circumstances surrounding the unfortunate occurrence, with a view to establishing the exact circumstances leading to the children’s deaths,” Mr Abayomi said.

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The spokesperson said the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, had expressed condolences to the family over the loss of the siblings.

“Ohagwu expressed condolences to the bereaved family and assured them of the command’s commitment to uncovering the circumstances surrounding the tragedy,” he said.

Mr Abayomi urged parents and guardians to exercise greater vigilance over their children, particularly when they are near rivers, streams, ponds and other bodies of water,” he said.

Meanwhile, the remains of the three siblings have reportedly been released to the family for burial.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure, Innocent Omale, said he became aware of the incident through social media but confirmed that the police had taken over the case.