Grief has turned to suspicion for Samuel Jonah, the father of three siblings — including 11-year-old twins — who were found dead near a stream at a farm around the Owena Army Barracks in Akure, Ondo State.
Jonah has rejected the suggestion that his children drowned, insisting that the circumstances surrounding their deaths raise disturbing questions and may point to foul play.
The victims were identified as Joshua Jonah, 11; his twin brother, Jacob Jonah, 11; and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah.
According to their father, what he saw when the bodies were uncovered deepened his suspicion that something was seriously wrong.
“When I uncovered them, I saw blood coming out of their ears. I also saw blood coming from the body of my youngest daughter,” Jonah said.
“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.”
Jonah said he suspected that bandits or other individuals could have been involved, although he admitted that he had no direct evidence linking anyone to the deaths.
“I don’t have 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.
Children Disappear From Farm
Jonah said the children had accompanied him and their mother to the farm before the couple left the area to attend to other matters.
He said the children were instructed to continue playing around the farm and return home by 6 p.m.
But when the parents returned home at the appointed time, the children were nowhere to be found.
“I waited, thinking that they would soon come back,” Jonah said.
As the hours passed without any sign of them, panic set in.
“I began to think that something was wrong. I took my motorcycle and rushed to the farm,” he said.
The disappearance was subsequently reported to the Military Police at the barracks, while soldiers and the family joined the search for the missing children.
The family even checked their church and contacted their pastor, hoping the children might have gone there.
Grim Discovery Near Stream
Jonah said the search took a devastating turn when a soldier contacted him while he was praying and asked him to return to the barracks.
He rushed back.
“There is a small stream near my farm. When I got there, they held me back for a while,” he recalled.
According to Jonah, Army officers questioned him about whether he had problems with anyone. He said he told them he did not.
An officer later informed him that his three children had died in the water.
But Jonah said he struggled to accept the explanation.
“I asked them how it was possible for my three children to die in the water at the same time,” he said.
When he eventually saw the bodies, they had been covered with leaves.
“I removed the leaves with my own hands. I was deeply pained because those were my only children,” he said.
‘I Want To Know What Killed My Children’
The deaths have left Jonah demanding answers and calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
“Those are my only children. I cannot just accept that they entered the water and all died at the same time without knowing exactly what happened,” he said.
He appealed to the Ondo State Government and security agencies to establish the actual cause of death and determine whether the children drowned or were victims of foul play.
“I want the government and the security agencies to investigate this matter properly. I want to know what killed my children,” Jonah said.
“If they drowned, let them tell us how it happened. If somebody did something to them, that person should be found.”
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain the subject of the father's allegations, and a definitive conclusion would require findings from the appropriate authorities, including a forensic examination and investigation.
Father: My Children Didn’t Drown, Probe Their Deaths
