Three siblings have been found dead on September, 4, 2026 beside a stream within the precinct of the Owena Army Barracks in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while the grieving father, Samuel Jonah, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his children were too suspicious to be dismissed as drowning.
Penpushing reports that the deceased were identified as 11-year-old twins Joshua and Jacob Jonah, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah, however, their security guard father has appealed to the police and other security agencies to unravel the mystery behind the sudden deaths.
The bereaved father who works as a security guard within the barracks, narrating the incident, said he, his wife and the three children had gone to the farm on Friday, September 4, 2026 to do some work.
Penpushing further reports that 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, recalling 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.
Penpushing also reports that 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.
The father added that he began to think that something was wrong, and took his motorcycle and rushed to the farm, explaining that apart from alerting the military police at the barracks immediately, he also contacted friends and other acquaintances to help search for the children.
Penpushing reports that the father who has lived in Akure since 2003 said he equally checked at their church, thinking the children could have gone there, but they were not found, lamenting that he was called the following day that the children had been found dead beside a river.
The father said the initial suspicion was that they could have drowned in the water, but said the circumstances surrounding their deaths were too suspicious to be dismissed as drowning, arguing that the children’s bodies were neither sufficiently wet nor did their stomachs contain water when they were found dead.
Penpushing further reports that he said he observed blood coming from their ears and from the body of his youngest daughter, maintaining 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.
The father said that though he has no direct proof, he wants authorities to investigate thoroughly, while the children’s uncle, Mazi Hassan, described the incident as shocking and called for justice, arguing that three children from one family cannot just die like that, and called on government to investigate and bring those responsible to book.
Penpushing also reports that, the Ondo State Police Command Public Relations Officer Jimoh Abayomi said the command has commenced investigation into the deaths of the three children.
The police spokesperson affirmed that the children were left on the farm and their father reportedly discovered that they were missing after he arrived home, adding that a search operation was subsequently launched, leading to the discovery of the bodies of the three children on Saturday, September 5,2026, 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,”, he said
Penpushing reports that Abayomi said the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, had expressed condolences to the family over the loss of the siblings and assured them of the command’s commitment to uncovering the circumstances surrounding the tragedy
The police spokesperson 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.
Penpushing further reports that spokesperson for the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure, Innocent Omale, when contacted said he became aware of the incident through social media but confirmed that the police had taken over the case.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report the remains of the three siblings have reportedly been released to the family for burial.
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