An Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, the state capital, has ordered the state government to pay a sum of N25 million damages to Mrs Opeyemi Adegboyega.
Adegboyega had earlier sued the state government over her missing male child in the custody of one of the state’s juvenile homes in Akure, which is under the supervision of the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, a few years ago.
The claimant, who was on treatment for depression and schizophrenia at the Ondo State Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, had her then three-month-old son taken into custody of the state Ministry of Women Affairs to enable her have proper treatment at the hospital as an outpatient.
After one month of treatment, Adegboyega was said to have been discharged from the hospital and she went to the Ondo State Juvenile Home to take her child but was informed that the baby had died and had been deposited at the morgue of the hospital.
It was gathered that she went to the State Specialist Hospital where she was told that no child’s corpse was deposited at the morgue by officials of the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
Not satisfied, the claimant, through her lawyer, Mr Oju Kekemeke, approached the state high court to challenge the development and Ondo State Government and the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs were the defendants in the suit.
In the judgement delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Akure, the court held that the totality of the evidence of the defendants in the case were “unbelievable, unconscionable, unsubstantiated, untrue and untenable.”
It also held that the disappearance of Omoniyi Oluwaseun (the claimant’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.
“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.”
The judgement also read that: “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 N15 million 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 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.”
Fidelis David
