An Ondo State High Court in Akure has ordered the state government and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to pay N25 million in compensation to a woman whose three-month-old baby went missing while under the care of a state-owned juvenile home.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, the court found the government responsible for the disappearance of Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega’s infant son, Omoniyi Oluwaseun, who was placed in the juvenile home in 2017.
The baby had been entrusted to the Ministry of Women Affairs after his mother was admitted for treatment of depression and schizophrenia at the state Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Court documents revealed that after her discharge, Adegboyega was informed that her child had died and that the body had been deposited at a mortuary. However, when she visited the State Specialist Hospital to confirm, she was allegedly told there was no record of any corpse matching her child’s description being brought there by ministry officials.
Unsatisfied with the conflicting explanations, she approached the court through her lawyer, Mr. Oju Kekemeke, to seek justice.
In his ruling, Justice Osadebay dismissed the government’s account, describing the evidence presented as unreliable and unsupported.
The judge pointed out that the authorities failed to provide any credible documents proving the child’s death, injury, or proper record of his whereabouts while in their custody.
He also noted the absence of medical reports, mortuary records, or burial documents to back the claim that the infant had died.
The court ruled that the child’s disappearance was a result of negligence on the part of the government and the ministry.
Justice Osadebay further held that the mother suffered severe emotional pain, personal loss, and psychological trauma following the disappearance of her son.
As a result, the court awarded her N10 million in exemplary and aggravated damages, N15 million in general damages, and N200,000 as the cost of the suit.
BACKSTORY…
The case dates back to 2017 when a three-month-old baby was placed in the care of the Ondo State Juvenile Home after his mother was admitted for psychiatric treatment. What was expected to be temporary care soon turned into a prolonged search for answers after the child could no longer be accounted for.
According to the mother, she was later informed by officials that her son had died while in custody. However, suspicions grew when efforts to trace the child’s remains reportedly led nowhere, with no official records to support the claim of his death.
The uncertainty surrounding the child’s fate pushed the matter into a legal battle, as the mother sought accountability from the state government and the Ministry of Women Affairs. Over the years, the case drew attention to concerns about child welfare, record-keeping, and the treatment of vulnerable children placed in state custody.
The court’s latest ruling marks a significant moment in the years-long dispute, holding the authorities responsible for the disappearance and awarding damages to the mother for the emotional and psychological toll.
