An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has ordered the Ondo State Government and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to pay ₦25 million in damages to a woman whose infant son mysteriously disappeared while under government custody.
The claimant, Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega, had approached the court after her three-month-old baby, Omoniyi Oluwaseun, went missing at the Ondo State Juvenile Home where he had been placed in 2017.
According to court proceedings, Adegboyega was receiving treatment for mental health challenges at the Ondo State Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital and had temporarily entrusted the care of her child to the state government through the Ministry of Women Affairs.
However, upon her discharge from the hospital about a month later, ministry officials allegedly informed her that the child had died and had been deposited at a mortuary.
Unsatisfied with the explanation, she embarked on a search for answers, only to discover that no record of the child’s death or remains existed at the mortuary where officials claimed the body had been taken.
The mother subsequently instituted legal action against the state government, seeking justice over the disappearance of her son.
Delivering judgment, Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay held that the government failed in its duty of care and could not provide credible evidence to support its claim that the child had died while in custody.
The court described the government’s account as inconsistent and unsupported by medical, mortuary or burial records, noting that the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance remained unexplained.
Justice Osadebay consequently awarded ₦15 million as general damages for the emotional trauma, pain and suffering endured by the claimant and an additional ₦10 million as exemplary and aggravated damages. The court also awarded ₦200,000 as the cost of the suit.
The judgment is being hailed as a significant victory for accountability and the protection of vulnerable children placed under state care.
Speaking after the ruling, counsel to the claimant, Mr. Oju Kekemeke, welcomed the judgment and called on relevant authorities to intensify efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the missing child and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
The case has renewed concerns about the welfare and monitoring of children housed in government-run institutions across the state.
