Ondo High Court Orders State Government to Pay ₦25 Million Over Infant’s Disappearance

A High Court in Akure, Ondo State, has ordered the state government and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to pay ₦25 million in damages to a woman whose infant son disappeared while in the custody of a state-run juvenile home.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, found the authorities liable for the disappearance of the three-month-old child, Omoniyi Oluwaseun, who was placed in state care in 2017 while his mother, Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega, was receiving treatment for health issues at a psychiatric facility.

Upon her discharge, Mrs. Adegboyega was told by ministry officials that her son had died and his body had been taken to a mortuary. However, she later discovered that the State Specialist Hospital had no records of the child’s remains being received. Following this, she initiated a lawsuit against the government through her counsel, Mr. Oju Kekemeke.

In her ruling, Justice Akintan-Osadebay rejected the defense’s account of events, noting that the government failed to provide any credible documentation, such as medical reports, death certificates, or burial records, to prove that the child had died. The court concluded that the disappearance was a direct result of the defendants’ negligence.

The judge highlighted the severe emotional distress and psychological trauma suffered by the mother as a result of the state’s failure to protect her child. Consequently, the court awarded ₦10 million in exemplary and aggravated damages and ₦15 million in general damages, in addition to ₦200,000 for the costs of the suit.