The father of three siblings found dead near a stream on a farm in Akure, Ondo State, has rejected claims that his children drowned, insisting that the circumstances surrounding their deaths require a thorough investigation.
The distraught father, Samuel Jonah, said he could not understand how his 11-year-old twins, Joshua and Jacob, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing, could have died in the same waterway at the same time.
Jonah said he became suspicious after discovering what he described as blood around the bodies of the children.
He said, “When I uncovered them, I saw blood coming from their ears. I also saw blood coming from the body of my youngest daughter. I have never seen someone die in water and bleed like that.
“There was no water in their stomachs, and they were not very wet. I do not think they died through drowning. Something must have happened to them.”
The father, however, stressed that he had no direct evidence linking any individual to the deaths, adding that his suspicion was based on the circumstances in which the bodies were found.
The children had accompanied their parents to their farm within the 32 Artillery Brigade Army Barracks, Akure, on Friday before the tragedy occurred.
Jonah, who works as a security guard, said he left the farm around noon to collect his salary and returned later.
According to him, he subsequently told the children that he and their mother would be leaving, instructing them to continue playing but return home by 6pm.
He said when he and his wife returned home at the appointed time, the children were nowhere to be found.
“By 8pm, they had still not returned. I began to think that something was wrong, so I took my motorcycle and rushed back to the farm,” he said.
A search was subsequently launched for the missing children, while the father reported the matter to Military Police personnel at the barracks.
The search continued into Saturday morning, with the family also checking their church and contacting their pastor.
Jonah said he was praying when a soldier contacted him and asked him to return to the barracks.
He said after arriving at the military facility, officers questioned him about whether he had any dispute with anyone.
“There is a small stream near my farm. When I got there, they held me back for a while. Army officers interviewed me and asked whether I had any problem with anybody. I told them I did not have any problem with anyone,” he recounted.
According to him, an officer later informed him that the three children had died in the water.
Jonah said he immediately questioned how all three could have died in the same place.
“I asked them how it was possible for my three children to die in the water at the same time,” he said.
The bodies of the three siblings were later found around the bank of the stream on Saturday, September 5.
The children’s uncle, Mazi Hassan, also called for an investigation into the deaths, describing the incident as difficult to comprehend.
“They were twins. Three children from one family cannot just die like that. The government should investigate this matter thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice,” Hassan said.
Hassan also alleged that a similar incident had occurred previously within the barracks and urged the authorities to investigate the claim as part of efforts to unravel what happened to the children.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the deaths.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, confirmed that the children had gone to the farm with their father before they were reported missing.
Abayomi said a search operation led to the discovery of their bodies the following day, adding that the command was investigating to determine how the children died.
He said, “The command is continuing to document the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident, while investigation is ongoing to establish the exact circumstances leading to their death.”
The remains of the children have reportedly been released to the family for burial.
The Army spokesperson in Ondo State, Omale Innocent, said he learnt of the incident through social media but confirmed that the police had taken over the investigation.
For the children’s father, however, questions remain unanswered over the circumstances surrounding the deaths, as he appealed to the authorities to establish exactly what happened to his three children.