Whitney Adeniran, the deceased, was alleged to have slumped and died during the school’s inter-house sports activities at Agege stadium.
In a video making the rounds on social media, Blessing, the mother of the deceased, recounted the events of the day in question, adding that there were no emergency medical facilities on the ground at all.
She started by describing how she was watching the inter-house sports activities, but after about 30 minutes, she did not see her daughter among any of the participants, so she went across to enquire about her whereabouts.
On getting there, she was told that someone had just fainted and was rushed to the hospital, she later found out that the person in question was her daughter, Whitney, and that she had been rushed to a nearby hospital on the school bus.
“No ambulance, no doctor, no nurse, no medical personnel. There was no emergency provision on ground in a place where you have over 500 students and 100 parents.
“I asked which hospital my daughter was taken to and I was told to ask the principal. I asked the principal and she said Agege Central Hospital which I quickly put into my Google Maps, but it wasn’t coming up, all I was seeing was Agege Central Mosque.
“I told her and she said don’t worry just go, ask around for directions, and people will tell you. We were asking for directions as we were going but no one knew, they said only know Agege General Hospital, so we called the principal to confirm which it was and she said it is Agege Central, very close to the stadium.
“I told the driver that we should go to the Agege Central Mosque, hoping that it would be somewhere close to it. Fortunately, on the way there, we saw the school bus parked on the side of the road so we parked and I rushed it.
“I met the staff that went with her and asked her where she was and what happened. She said she didn’t know what happened but that Whitney was inside.
“I went in and I met my daughter’s corpse. She was already dead. All this happened in less than 10 minutes and she was already dead when I got there. I asked the doctor there what happened and she said it’s like it was cardiac arrest.
“Whitney was 12. How does a 12-year-old have a cardiac arrest? What happened to Whitney Adeniran? This is my first child on earth.
“How do I accept that my 12-year-old is dead out of carelessness?” she asked breaking down in tears.
She added that her daughter wasn’t taken to a proper hospital but rather, to an immunization centre.
Pupil Had ‘Not Too Buoyant Health’ – Chrisland Schools Responds
The management of the school has broken its silence on the death, stating that Whitney had complained of a less-than-perfect health situation on January 20.
In a statement released on Sunday, the school management expressed distress over the tragedy, adding that she slumped “in public view and not under hidden circumstances” and was rushed to the nearest medical facility for first aid.
“We are heartbroken and distressed. Whitney was one of our Day students who opted not to participate in the inter-house sports match past for reasons we were not very sure of.
“However, on discretion, we respected her decision to err on the side of caution, because, on January 20, 2023, it is in our records that she had complained about a not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents.
“Her father, Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasised to her parents to take a critical look at her.
After she slumped, the school’s management said its immediate response was, “to take advantage of proximity to first-aid, by identifying the nearest medical facility to take her to, where the doctor on duty, administered oxygen and every aid possible on her.
“We immediately notified regulatory stakeholders and agencies to allow for a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of the developments.
“In spite of the compelling imperatives to fill any information gaps in public space, we stopped short of making any media sensation out of this, because the deceased in question, was a minor and deserving of our unqualified respect.
“We also prioritised (and showed) respect for the privacy of the family and were with them consistently, to mourn together. This is a painful loss for all of us.
“As we continue to uphold the sobriety of this moment, we resist any urge to join issues on her treasured memory, in media trends.
“As we await the outcome of an independent post-mortem process, we remain unwaveringly committed to supporting the family at this critical moment and pray fervently for the fortitude to bear her painful loss,” the statement said.
