Fidelis David in Akure
Tragedy has struck a family in Akure, Ondo State, following the discovery of the bodies of three siblings, including a pair of 11-year-old twins, at a farm around the Owena Army Barracks.
The Ondo State Police Command, which confirmed the incident on Sunday, said the children died under circumstances that are still being investigated by the police.
The victims were identified as Joshua Jonah, 11; his twin brother, Jacob Jonah, 11; and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Jimoh, the three children had accompanied their father, Samuel Jonah, to the farm on Friday, September 4, 2026, but later left the farm to return home.
The Command said their father became concerned when he returned home and discovered that the children were missing, prompting a search for them.
“ A search operation was thereafter conducted,” the police said, adding that the bodies of the three siblings were eventually discovered on Saturday, September 5, “around the bank of a small river within the farm.”
The circumstances surrounding how the children died remained unclear as of Sunday, with the police saying it had commenced efforts to establish what happened.
The state Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, has consequently ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
The Command said it was “diligently documenting all available facts and circumstances surrounding the unfortunate occurrence,” with the aim of determining the exact circumstances that led to the deaths of the children.
Ohagwu also commiserated with the bereaved family, assuring them of the police command’s commitment to establishing all relevant facts surrounding the tragedy.
“The Commissioner of Police commiserates with the bereaved family and assures them of the Command’s commitment to ensuring that all relevant facts surrounding the incident are thoroughly established,” the statement said.
The police, however, urged parents and guardians to exercise greater vigilance over children, particularly when they are around rivers, ponds, streams and other bodies of water.
The Command warned that greater caution in such environments was necessary “in order to prevent avoidable tragedies.”