Police investigate deaths of three siblings found near river on Ondo farm
Ondo State Police are investigating the deaths of three siblings whose bodies were found near a small river on a farm around the Owena Army Barracks area of Akure.
Police say the children — 11-year-old twins and their five-year-old sister — had accompanied their father to the farm on Friday, September 4.
According to the command, the children later left the farm ahead of him to return home.
When their father returned and could not find them, a search was launched.
Their bodies were discovered the following day, September 5, near the bank of a small river within the farm.
IDNN is withholding the children’s names and unnecessary family details because of their ages.
Police open investigation
Ondo Police spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh said the command has begun documenting the circumstances surrounding the deaths and is investigating what happened.
The cause of death has not been publicly established.
Police have not announced any finding of drowning, poisoning, assault or another cause in the material reviewed by IDNN.
The fact that the bodies were found near a river establishes where they were discovered.
It does not establish how the children died.
Search followed after children failed to return
Police say the siblings accompanied their father to the farm and later left before him.
Their absence was discovered when he returned home and could not find them.
Family members and others then joined a search.
The bodies were found the next day.
That sequence is based on the police account and has not been independently reconstructed by IDNN.
Cause of death remains unresolved
The central question now is what caused the deaths.
That will require evidence from the police investigation and, where applicable, medical or forensic examination.
The command has not publicly established whether the children entered the river, whether there was third-party involvement or whether another hazard on the farm contributed to their deaths.
Those possibilities remain unresolved and should not be presented as fact.
Police issue general water-safety warning
Police urged parents and guardians to exercise vigilance around rivers, ponds and other bodies of water.
The warning is general.
It does not establish that water caused the deaths.
What happens next
The next material development should be an authoritative finding on the cause and circumstances of the deaths.
Police will also need to clarify whether any evidence points to accident, environmental hazard, third-party involvement or another explanation.
Until then, the verified publication position remains limited:
Three siblings were found dead near a small river on a farm around the Owena Army Barracks area of Akure on September 5.
Ondo Police are investigating.
The cause of their deaths has not been established.
