A family in Oke Ogba, Akure, Ondo State, has been thrown in a state of grief and mourning following the sudden death of three siblings whose lifeless bodies were discovered near a riverbank at the weekend.

The deceased siblings had been missing since Friday while returning from the farm with their father after their bodies were found on Saturday.

The deceased have been identified as 11-year-old twins, Joshua and Jacob Jonah, and their five-year-old younger sister, Blessing Jonah.

According to sources, the children had accompanied their father, Samuel Jonah, to a family farm located around the Owena Army Barracks area on the outskirts of Akure, the state capital.

A family source disclosed that the three children had left the farm ahead of their father to return home, but they were nowhere to be found when their father arrived.

The distraught father subsequently raised an alarm, which resulted in a frantic search by family members and neighbors, with the search party combing various parts of the area.

The bodies of the three siblings were recovered the following morning in a small river within the farm neighbors.

During a visit to the Jonah family home in Oke Ogba, the compound was filled with grieving relatives, friends, and neighbours who had gathered to offer condolences.

Sympathisers continued to arrive throughout the day as the community came to terms with the magnitude of the loss.

A neighbor said, “The loss of the twins and their younger sister has left the neighborhood in a state of profound neighborsis, too painful. Twins and their little sister. All gone together.”

While confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Command stated that investigation has commenced into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The neighbour said, “Oke, Jimoh Abayomi disclosed that the children were with the neighborhood at the farm before they went missing and that a search operation led to the discovery of their bodies near the riverbank.”

“The Command is documenting the incident, and the investigation is ongoing to ascertain what led to their death,” Abayomi said.

The police spokesman further confirmed that the bodies had been released to their father for burial, as the family prepares to lay the three children to rest.

He also used the opportunity to advise parents and guardians to maintain close watch over their children, particularly when they are near rivers, streams, and ponds.

As of press time, the police had yet to establish the exact circumstances that led to the children’s deaths, leaving the family and the community awaiting answers over the tragedy that claimed three young lives from the same household.