A FAMILY in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has been thrown into mourning after the bodies of three siblings, including 11-year-old twins, were found near the bank of a small river on a farm around the Owena Army Barracks area.
News Point Nigeria reports that the deceased were identified as 11-year-old twins, Joshua Jonah and Jacob Jonah, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah. The children were found dead on Saturday, September 5, after they reportedly went missing from the farm where they had accompanied their father the previous day.
Confirming the tragedy in a statement on Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the Command had commenced an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The children were said to have accompanied their father, Samuel Jonah, to the farm on Friday, September 4, but later left the farm for home while their father remained behind.
Concern grew when Samuel returned home and discovered that the three children were not there. Family members, neighbours and other residents subsequently launched a search for the siblings, scouring the farm and surrounding areas in an effort to locate them.
The search ended in tragedy on Saturday when the bodies of Joshua, Jacob and Blessing were discovered near the bank of a small river within the farm.
The development left the Jonah family devastated, with relatives, neighbours, friends and sympathisers visiting the parents’ residence in the Oke Ogba area of Akure to offer their condolences and share in the family’s grief.
Jimoh said the police were immediately involved after the children were reported missing and that the discovery of their bodies had prompted further investigation into what may have happened to them.
“The Ondo State Police Command confirms the tragic loss of three siblings at a farm located around the Owena Army Barracks, Akure, on 4th September 2026,” Jimoh said.
He added: “The victims, identified as Joshua Jonah, 11 years; Jacob Jonah, 11 years, (twins) and Blessing Jonah, five years, reportedly accompanied their father, Samuel Jonah, to the farm.
“They later left the farm for home, but were discovered missing when their father returned home.”
According to the police spokesperson, a search operation was subsequently conducted, leading to the discovery of the children’s bodies the following day, September 5, near the bank of the small river within the farm.
Jimoh said the children’s remains had since been released to their father for burial, while the police continued to document the incident and investigate to establish the exact circumstances leading to their deaths.
The police have not disclosed the cause of death, and the circumstances surrounding the tragedy remained unclear as of Sunday, as investigators continued efforts to unravel what happened to the three siblings.
The police spokesperson expressed sympathy to the bereaved family and urged parents and guardians to exercise greater vigilance in monitoring their children, particularly when they are around rivers, ponds and other potentially hazardous bodies of water.
The tragedy has continued to generate grief and concern in the Oke Ogba community, with residents awaiting the outcome of the police investigation into the deaths of the three siblings.