A British-Nigerian man convicted in the United Kingdom over the abduction of his son has reportedly escaped after prison officials mistakenly released him from custody.
The man, identified as Ifedayo Adeyeye, was said to have regained freedom following an administrative error at HMP Pentonville, with authorities allegedly failing to alert police immediately after the incident.
According to reports from UK media, the development came to light during court proceedings on Monday, where concerns were raised over the delay in launching a nationwide manhunt for the fugitive.
A court had earlier ruled that Adeyeye unlawfully took his son, Laurys, from the child’s mother, Claire N’Djosse, in France and moved him through the UK to Nigeria.
The child, born in France, had reportedly lived with his mother since birth.
The alleged abduction was said to have occurred on July 27, 2024, during the first time the boy spent the night with his father.
After allegedly failing to return the child in compliance with a UK court order, Adeyeye was arrested upon his return to Britain and jailed for six months in January for contempt of court.
He was later handed an additional 12-month sentence on April 20 after reportedly refusing to cooperate with efforts aimed at reuniting the child with his mother.
However, the court heard that prison officials mistakenly released him the following day after details of the new sentence were not properly communicated to the department responsible for inmate discharge.
At an earlier hearing held on May 1, the judge criticised the prison authorities for what was described as a serious lack of urgency in responding to the mistaken release.
The judge noted that the situation could likely have been prevented if law enforcement agencies had been informed immediately.
“The public is entitled to expect far better than this,” the judge reportedly said while condemning the delay.
During Monday’s proceedings, investigators disclosed that Adeyeye was believed to have travelled to Spain shortly after regaining freedom and may have left the UK on April 22.
In a statement presented before the court, the Metropolitan Police said efforts were ongoing to locate and rearrest him.
The police added that authorities recognised the emotional impact of the incident on both the child and his mother, assuring that all reasonable steps were being taken to track the fugitive.
The incident has also renewed concerns about errors within the UK prison system, with official figures reportedly showing that dozens of inmates were mistakenly released between April 2025 and March 2026.