A family in Akure, Ondo State, has been thrown into mourning after three siblings, including a pair of 11-year-old twins, were found dead near a small river on a farm around the Owena Army Barracks area.

The victims were identified as Joshua Jonah and his twin brother, Jacob Jonah, both aged 11, and their five-year-old sister, Blessing Jonah.

The children had reportedly accompanied their father, Samuel Jonah, to the family farm on Friday before leaving the area to return home ahead of him.

Their disappearance was discovered after their father later returned home and found that the children were not there. Concern quickly grew among relatives and members of the community, leading to a search for the siblings.

The search ended in tragedy on Saturday when the bodies of the three children were discovered near the bank of a small river within the farm.

The circumstances surrounding their deaths have not yet been established.

The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the incident and said an investigation had begun to determine what happened to the children.

Police spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh said the incident occurred at a farm located around the Owena Army Barracks area of Akure. He confirmed that the children had gone to the farm with their father before they were later discovered missing.

According to the police, a search operation was launched after the children could not be located. Their bodies were subsequently found the following day.

The police said the remains had been released to the family for burial while investigators continued efforts to establish the exact circumstances leading to the deaths.

News of the deaths has caused shock in the Oke Ogba area of Akure, where the family resides. Sympathisers have reportedly visited the parents’ home to offer condolences following the loss of the three children.

The deaths of siblings in the same incident have also drawn attention to the dangers children may face around rivers, streams, ponds and other bodies of water, particularly in rural and farming environments.

However, police have not publicly concluded that drowning or any other specific cause was responsible for the deaths. Authorities are still investigating.

The police urged parents and guardians to exercise greater vigilance when children are around water bodies or other potentially dangerous areas.

For the bereaved family, the incident has created an enormous loss, with three children from the same household dying within the same episode.

The investigation is expected to provide more information about how the children died and what happened between the time they left the farm and when their bodies were discovered.

Until investigators establish the cause, the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear.

The Ondo State Police Command has appealed for calm while the investigation continues.