A British-Nigerian national, Ifedayo Adeyeye, has reportedly gone into hiding after he was mistakenly released from a prison in the United Kingdom while serving a sentence connected to the abduction of his son.
The error reportedly occurred at HMP Pentonville, where prison officials allegedly freed Adeyeye despite an additional jail term imposed on him by the court.
The incident was revealed during court proceedings on Monday, with reports indicating that authorities failed to promptly inform the Metropolitan Police about the mistaken release, giving the fugitive enough time to flee before a manhunt was launched.
According to reports by The Telegraph, a UK judge had earlier found Adeyeye guilty of unlawfully taking his son, Laurys Adeyeye, from the child’s mother, Claire N’Djosse, in France and moving him to Nigeria through Britain.
The court heard that the child, born in France, had been living with his mother prior to the incident.
The alleged abduction reportedly took place on July 27, 2024, during what was said to be the child’s first overnight stay with his father.
Following his return to Britain, Adeyeye was arrested for violating a court order after allegedly refusing to return the child to his mother.
He was initially sentenced to six months imprisonment in January for contempt of court. However, on April 20, the court imposed an additional 12-month sentence after he reportedly failed to comply with further directives concerning the return of the child.
Despite the fresh sentence, the court was told that prison officials released him the next day after failing to update the necessary records relating to his continued detention.
At an earlier hearing held on May 1, the judge faulted prison authorities over what was described as a slow and inadequate response after the mistake was discovered.
The court noted that immediate contact with the police could have prevented the escape.
During Monday’s proceedings, investigators disclosed that Adeyeye was believed to have travelled to Spain shortly after leaving prison and was suspected to have departed the UK on April 22.
In a statement presented before the court, the Metropolitan Police said efforts were ongoing to locate and apprehend him, while acknowledging the emotional impact of the incident on both the child and his mother.
The report further noted that the case reflects wider concerns within the UK prison system, with official figures showing that 179 inmates were mistakenly released between April 2025 and March 2026.
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