A British-Nigerian man, Ifedayo Adeyeye, has reportedly escaped from the United Kingdom after prison authorities mistakenly released him while he was serving a jail sentence linked to the abduction of his son.
The development emerged during a court hearing on Monday, where it was revealed that officials at HMP Pentonville failed to immediately notify police after the accidental release, giving Adeyeye several days before a nationwide manhunt was launched.
According to reports from UK media, Adeyeye had earlier been found guilty of abducting his son, Laurys Adeyeye, from the child’s mother, Claire N’Djosse, in France before taking the boy through the UK to Nigeria.
The child, who was born in France and had lived with his mother since birth, reportedly spent the night with his father for the first time on July 27, 2024, before the abduction occurred.
Following his return to the UK, Adeyeye was arrested and jailed for contempt of court after allegedly refusing to comply with court orders directing him to return the child.
He initially received a six-month prison sentence in January and was later handed an additional 12-month term on April 20 after again failing to cooperate with authorities over the child’s return.
However, prison officials reportedly released him the following day after details of the fresh sentence were not properly communicated to officers responsible for approving inmate releases.
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At an earlier hearing, the judge criticised prison authorities over what was described as an “alarming lack of urgency” in handling the situation.
The court noted that swift action by prison officials could likely have prevented Adeyeye from fleeing the country.
During Monday’s proceedings, the court heard that Adeyeye may have travelled to Spain shortly after his release and is believed to have departed the UK on April 22.
The Metropolitan Police said efforts were ongoing to track and rearrest him, adding that investigators were pursuing all available leads in the case.
Authorities also acknowledged the emotional impact the incident has had on the child and his mother.
The incident has further drawn attention to concerns within the UK prison system, with reports indicating that 179 inmates were mistakenly released between April 2025 and March 2026.
The case comes months after another Nigerian-born inmate, Ola Abimbola, reportedly escaped from HMP Ford while serving a lengthy sentence for kidnapping in the UK.
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