Samuel Jonah, 38, from Ankpa Local Government Area in Benue State, lost his three children on September 5, 2026. He talks about how their dead bodies were found on his farm in Akure, Ondo State, by soldiers from the 32nd Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, according to Sunday PUNCH.
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Could you tell us about the events that killed your three children?
The farm was where we always went. They had always gone to the farm with us since they were little. We never got hurt in the bush, no matter where we went. There was never any harm. My kids and I went to the farm on September 3. I told them to help me gather nuts from the ground.
That’s why we went with their mum: to carry things. We went back to the farm on Friday. I left them there around noon and went into town to get my security guard pay. Around 3 p.m., I went back to the farm. They were told that their mum and I were going home, but they could keep playing outside until 6 pm, when they had to go home.
What happened after that?
After that, their mum and I went somewhere. We got home around 6 p.m., but I still hadn’t seen my kids. The next day I had to be at work by 8 pm, so I told my wife to cook while I took a bath and got ready for bed. I looked all over the house but couldn’t find them.
I thought they would have come back home later that nite, but by 8 p.m. on that Friday, they still hadn’t.
I felt like something was off. And so I quickly rode my bike to the farm. I met a military police officer at the first gate of the barracks on my way.
I told them that my three kids had gone to the farm and hadn’t come back since I dropped them off there at 3 p.m. While my wife held a torch, I told her I was going to the farm because my motorbike didn’t have any lights. The MP officer told me to go to the MP office and call the police.
They told me to keep looking after I reported the case. The police officer told me to look for them and see if they came back. Along the road is a police station, but it was closed at that point. We had to wait until morning because I couldn’t get help.
My wife and I also went to church because we thought the kids might have gone to stay with a friend. The group said they hadn’t seen them. They weren’t in the church when I looked around. Some bad things had happened, and I couldn’t find my kids. I called my pastor and told him that we should pray.
I told the police about it when I went to the station. The police told me to keep looking until 24 hours had passed so that they could tell everyone about it. I made the choice to keep hoping.
In the end, how did you find out that your kids were dead?
During my prayer time, a soldier called me from the camp and told me to come right away. They told me they knew where my kids were. I ran from the prayer area to the soldiers’ barracks and met them there. A small stream runs next to my farm. They stopped me for a while when I got there.
The Army officers talked to me and asked if I had any problems with other people. I told them I didn’t hold a grudge against anyone. The police officer then told me that my kids had drowned and died. They told me it wasn’t possible for all three of my kids to drown at the same time.
When I got there, leaves were all over their bodies. I used my hands to take off the leaves. It hurt me a lot because those were my only children. Their ears were bleeding, I saw.
I also saw blood coming from my smallest daughter’s body. That was the first time I had seen someone die in water and bleed that much. I thought a person’s stomach would get bigger if they drowned. There shouldn’t be blood.
Did the way you saw their bodies make you think someone did something wrong?
When I touched their bodies, they didn’t look like a person who had drowned. This made me not believe they had died. Both of them were pretty dry and didn’t have any water in them. I don’t think they drowned and died. They must have had something happen to them.
I think that thieves or other bad people may have been involved. This is what I think, but I didn’t think this about anyone in particular. The farm has neighbours, and some of them are troops. But we don’t have any proof against anyone yet.
What did the cops do in this case besides helping you find them?
After some time, the cops came and asked me what I planned to do. I told them I didn’t have anything else to do. I have told God everything.
I have no more anger to give over the deaths of my children.
I trust that God will protect me. My only goal was to bury my kids. After I gave my statement to the police, the commander of the soldiers said that investigations would begin. After that, we were told to go ahead with the burial.
What do you really want in this case?
There is no way I can pay for a case against the military or anyone else.
The places where my children died were military bases, and I can’t just go up to the general or army officials and question them about it.
I have chosen to let God handle everything. However, I would appreciate it if the government could look into this and find out who did it.
Based on your time in the camp, has this kind of strange thing happened there before?
There was a case like that in 2020, I think. One of the child’s arms had been cut off when he was found dead. But none of my three kids’ bodies were missing. Instead, blood was coming out of their noses and ears.
There is something strange about what happened. I didn’t see anyone, so I can’t say anything bad about anyone. I don’t think my kids just drowned and died, though. The Army needs to do a proper investigation into what happened and find out the truth.
How long have you lived in Akure?
In 2003, I moved to Akure. When I first got here, I stayed in the army barracks. But in 2018, when citizens were told to leave, I left.
I still have a farm inside the barracks, though, and I’ve been farming there since 2003.
I haven’t had a problem with anyone there since I got there. In 2014, I got married.
How many kids do you have?
Only my three children ; they were all I had. In 2015, my wife gave birth to twin boys. We had a girl in 2021. She was called Blessing.
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