An Ondo State High Court in Akure has ordered the state government to pay N25 million in compensation to a woman whose infant son disappeared from a government-run juvenile facility.
Justice Oluyemi Osadebay, who delivered the judgment, faulted the explanations provided by the Ondo State Government, describing the evidence presented by the defendants as unreliable, unsupported, and lacking credibility.
The suit was filed by Mrs Opeyemi Adegboyega after her three-month-old son went missing while under the care of a juvenile home operated by the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
Adegboyega, who had been receiving treatment for depression and schizophrenia at the Ondo State Neuropsychiatric Hospital, had temporarily entrusted her baby to the ministry’s custody to enable her continue medical treatment.
However, upon completing her treatment and returning to reclaim her child, officials allegedly informed her that the baby had died and that the remains had been deposited at a mortuary.
The claimant later visited the State Specialist Hospital to verify the claim but was reportedly informed that no such body had been brought to the mortuary by officials of the ministry.
Unsatisfied with the explanation, she instituted legal action through her counsel, Oju Kekemeke, naming the Ondo State Government and the Ministry of Women Affairs as defendants.
In its ruling, the court held that the disappearance of the child, identified as Omoniyi Oluwaseun, resulted from the negligence of the defendants while the infant was in their custody.
Justice Osadebay noted that the incident subjected the claimant to severe emotional pain, psychological trauma, and personal loss.
Consequently, the court awarded N10 million as exemplary and aggravated damages, alongside N15 million as general damages for the suffering, anguish, and persistent shock experienced by the claimant.
The court also directed the defendants to pay an additional N200,000 as litigation costs.