A mother whose five-year-old son was abducted by his father has expressed deep feelings of betrayal after the father was mistakenly released from a London prison and is thought to have left the United Kingdom. Claire N'Djosse, 46, has not seen her son, Laurys N'Djosse Adeyeye, for almost two years. The boy was taken by his British father, Ifedayo Adeyeye, in France in July 2024 and brought to Nigeria via the UK.
Ms N'Djosse had sought the return of her son through the High Court in London. Adeyeye, a 58-year-old dual British-Nigerian national, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for contempt of court after failing to comply with court orders. However, the court heard earlier this month that Adeyeye was wrongly released from HMP Pentonville on April 21. Prison staff took three days to notify the police, by which time he may have travelled to Spain.
The Ministry of Justice acknowledged the distress caused by the mistaken release. Speaking through a translator, Ms N'Djosse said she felt 'lost' without her son and that her 'life stopped' when Laurys was abducted. She described Adeyeye's imprisonment as a 'glimmer of hope' that her son would be returned, but his release has left her feeling that 'my life stopped again'. She stated: 'It's my child who's my hope. My life has stopped; I can't do anything if I don't have my child. My child is my reason to live.'
She added that she had tried to remain hopeful while Adeyeye was in custody, but now that he is gone, she has lost all hope of seeing her child again. Referring to Pentonville prison, she said she 'felt betrayed where I believed him to be the most secure' and called for an investigation into the release, demanding 'justice for this injustice'. She urged the UK government to recognise the seriousness of the situation.
In a ruling last June, Mr Justice Hayden noted that Laurys was born in France and had lived with his mother since birth. He was abducted on July 27, 2024, during his first overnight stay with his father. A Nigerian court later granted parental responsibility to two individuals believed to be Adeyeye's relatives, without Ms N'Djosse's consent. The High Court ruled that it had the power to order Adeyeye to return Laurys, even though the boy did not reside in the UK. The judge described the abduction as 'an act of cruelty that even this court rarely sees' and called Adeyeye a 'dangerous threat to his son's physical and emotional welfare'.
Adeyeye was arrested upon returning to the UK and initially sentenced to six months in prison in January for contempt of court. He received an additional 12 months on April 20 but was wrongly released the following day, despite being due for extradition to France after his sentence. A hearing on May 11 revealed that Adeyeye is believed to have travelled to Spain on April 22, but prison staff did not notify police until April 24. Mr Justice Hayden stated that the public was 'entitled to expect far better' and that the state had 'failed', noting an 'alarming lack of urgency' from prison staff.
Ms N'Djosse, who resides in south-east France, said she does not criticise the English courts and felt she was 'on the right path to get my child back', but that path was 'wrecked' by Adeyeye's release. She described her son as being 'manipulated like a puppet' and urged anyone with information about Adeyeye's whereabouts, including his family, to come forward. She pleaded: 'My child wants to come back to see his mum. My child does not deserve all this. Why is my child being punished?'
She added: 'I am a lost mum. Without my child, I don't have a life. I want to find my child. I beg you to hear my screams, I beg you, those who are already parents, those who aren't parents yet, I beg you.'
Data from the Ministry of Justice shows that 179 inmates were wrongly released between April 2025 and March 2026. A review into Adeyeye's release is ongoing. A spokesperson said: 'We completely understand the distress that this release in error has caused to Claire N'Djosse, and our thoughts remain with her and her family. We are urgently working with the police to recapture this individual. The Government inherited a prison system in crisis after years of underinvestment, which has resulted in unacceptable rises in release in errors. That's why we're investing up to £82 million to digitise outdated paper-based systems, roll out biometrics and strengthen checks so we can better protect the public.'
