Ondo Siblings’ Death: My Children Didn’t Drown, I Suspect Foul Play — Father

The father of three siblings, including 11-year-old twins, who were found dead near a small river at a farm close to the Owena Army Barracks in Akure, Ondo State, has dismissed the idea that his children drowned, alleging that the circumstances surrounding their deaths pointed to possible foul play.

​The bereaved father, Samuel Jonah, said his suspicions were heightened by what he saw when the bodies of his children were found.

The victims were identified as Joshua Jonah, 11, his twin brother, Jacob Jonah, 11, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah.

Jonah said he was especially troubled because, in his opinion, the bodies were not wet enough and there was no water in the stomachs.

He claimed too to have seen blood coming from the ears of the children and from the body of his youngest daughter.

He said: “When I found them I saw blood coming from their ears. I saw blood coming from the body of my youngest daughter as well. “I have never seen someone die in water and bleed like that,” he said.

‎“There was no water in their stomachs and they were not very wet. I don’t think they drowned. Something must have happened to them.

‎“I guess bandits or other people could have been involved.

‎However, Jonah conceded that he had no direct evidence tying any specific person to the deaths, emphasizing that his suspicion was based on the circumstances in which the bodies were discovered.

‎“I haven’t got the evidence to say this person killed my children. “But the way I saw their bodies and what I noticed made me feel that something was wrong,” he said.

The father said the children had accompanied him and their mother to the farm, adding that he later left the area to take care of other matters.

“We then left the farm, my wife and I, and the children were to play around the area and come home by 6 p.m.“When I came back, I told them that their mother and I would be going home, and that they could keep playing around but should come home at 6 p.m. Later, their mother and I went somewhere.

“We got home at 6 p.m., but I didn’t see my children. I waited, thinking they would be back soon.”

“I started to think there was something wrong. ‘I ran to the farm on my motorcycle,’ he said.

He said he reported the disappearance of the children to the Military Police at the barracks and joined the search for them.

Jonah said the search eventually led to the discovery of the children’s bodies after a soldier contacted him while he was praying and asked him to come back to the barracks.

‎‘We were looking for them everywhere,’ he added. We checked our church and we called our pastor because we were hoping maybe they had gone there,” the woman said.

“I ran from the prayer ground to the barracks and met the soldiers. I have a small stream near my farm. They held me back a little when I came.

“Army officers came to me and asked me if I had any problem with anybody. I said, “I have no problem with anybody.”

‘Then an officer told him his children died in the water.’

“I asked them how it was possible that my three children could die in the water at the same time.

When I arrived, they had covered their bodies with leaves. I took the leaves off by hand. I was sorely grieved, for they were my only children.

The discovery had devastated him and left him determined to know what happened to his children, Jonah said.

‎“Those are my only kids. “I can’t just accept that they went into the water and all died at the same time without knowing exactly what happened,” he said.

He appealed to the government and security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation including finding out the actual cause of death.

‎“I want the government and security agencies to investigate this matter properly. I want to know what killed my children. If they drowned, let them tell us how. If someone did something to them, that person should be found,” Jonah said.