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The matter over a male child that got missing in one of Ondo State juvenile homes has been concluded by an Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure.
The court has ordered Ondo State government to pay the mother of the missing child, Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega, a sum of N25million as damages.
Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega had dragged the state government before the court over her male child, who got missing a few years ago while in the custody of a juvenile home under the supervision of the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega had experienced depression and schizophrenia and was receiving treatment for the medical challenges at the Ondo State Neuro Psychiatric Hospital as an out-patient, but she had a three-month-old baby with her.
In order to allow her have proper medical treatment, her then three- month-old baby boy was taken into custody by Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs.
A month into the treatment, Mrs. Opeyemi Adegboyega was said to have been discharged from the hospital.
She thereafter went to the Ondo State Juvenile Home, where her baby boy was taken to for care, but was informed that her baby had died and his remains had been deposited in the morgue of the state hospital.
On getting to the State Specialist Hospital to see the body of her child, she was told that the official of the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development had not deposited any baby corpse in the morgue.
Troubled by the development, the claimant, through her attorney, Oju Kekemeke, subsequently filed a suit before the state High Court challenging the development.
Ondo State Government and Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs were the defendants in the suit.
Handing down the judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, ruled that the totality of the evidence of the defendants in the case were “unbelievable, unconscionable, unsubstantiated, untrue and untenable.”
According to the judgement, a copy of which was made available to journalists on Tuesday, the court also held that the disappearance of Omoniyi Oluwaseun (the defendant’s child) from the custody of the Ondo State Juvenile Home under the supervision of the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs was caused by the negligent act of the defendants.
The judgement reads in parts: “This court hereby declares that the claimant has suffered excruciating pain, anguish, personal loss and psychological trauma as a result of the disappearance of Omoniyi Oluwaseun from the Ondo State Juvenile Home under the supervision of the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs.
“An order that the sum of N10 million be paid by the defendants to the Claimant as exemplary and aggravated damages. An order that a sum of N15million be paid by the defendants to the claimant as general damages for the excruciating pain, anguish, personal loss, psychological trauma and persistent shock of the claimant and caused by the negligent act of the defendants.
“This court hereby grants an order that the sum of N200, 000 be paid by the defendants to the claimant as cost of this action.”
