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The Lagos State government has done the right thing by ordering a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student of Chrisland School, Opebi, Ikeja. The victim reportedly slumped and died on February 9, 2023, during the school’s inter-house sports at Agege Stadium. According to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), this is to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out to ascertain the cause of death of the late student.
The inquest came on the heels of an earlier directive from the State Ministry of Education, which ordered the temporary closure of the school. The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, explained that the school would remain closed until the investigation into the unfortunate incident is concluded.
Since the unfortunate incident, different accounts have trailed the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim. A statement by the management of the school had claimed that the deceased slumped and died during the school’s inter-house sports. It also added that she was rushed to the nearest medical facility for first aid. However, the father of the victim, Michael Adeniran, faulted the claim and alleged that his daughter was electrocuted.
Adeniran demanded a probe into the death and called on the Lagos State government and the police to wade into the matter. He insisted that Chrisland should explain what actually happened to his daughter. He also claimed that her daughter had no health condition or sickness as of the time the school bus picked her up for the sporting event.
In the same vein, Mrs. Blessing Adeniran, the mother of the deceased, narrated how she learnt of her daughter’s death. According to her, after she was told that her daughter had slumped, she immediately rushed to the hospital she was taken but had a hard time finding it because she was given the wrong address. However, after she finally located where her daughter was, she was already dead and her lips and tongue were black.
In spite of the controversy surrounding the victim’s death, it is expected that the coroner’s inquest will establish the actual cause of death of the victim. According to the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Lagos State, the inquest is in line with Sections 14 and 15 of the Coroners’ Systems Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, to determine the cause and circumstances of death.
Section 14(1) (d) of the Coroners’ System Law of the State provides: “A report of death shall be made to any of the agencies or to the office of the Coroner and be subject to post-mortem examination where there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of death was: violent, unnatural or suspicious.” Section 15(1) (9) further enjoins the Coroner to hold an inquest whenever he or she is informed that the death of the deceased person was in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation or believes an inquest is desirable following the report of a reportable death. The commissioner has assured Nigerians that “the findings of this investigation will be made public in due course and appropriate sanctions meted out to anyone found culpable.”
The tragic death of Whitney Adeniran during a sporting event is very sad. The traumatic incident brings to mind the controversial death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki Lagos in 2021. The incident led to the indefinite closure of the college by the Lagos State government. While Dowen College had claimed that the young Sylvester died from injuries sustained while playing football, the bereaved family alleged foul play in his death.
Apart from closing the Chrisland College and ordering an investigation into the circumstances surround the death of Whitney Adeniran, we urge Lagos State government to ensure adequate supervision of schools in the state, especially the private ones. If these schools are regularly scrutinised, some of the unfortunate incidents emanating from them would have been averted. In addition to increasing the quality of teaching and learning in these schools, the safety of the students must be given priority attention.
During sporting activities, there is need to provide for medical emergencies. Agege Stadium used by the school for the sports event is a Lagos State Government’s facility. If the cause of death is really electrocution, the government and management of the sports complex also have questions to answer. Why was there an exposed electric wire within range, to the extent that one of the facility’s users came in contact with it and died? This amounts to negligence.
Let the investigation be thorough, transparent and the outcome be made public. Let there be justice for the deceased. Without preempting the outcome of the coroner’s inquest, the Chrisland incident should make other schools to be more cautious in handling their students, including when they are taken outside the school premises. The students need proper care and supervision. Henceforth, owners of schools must ensure that safety measures are put in place at all times. There should be a sickbay in all the schools. While we sympathise with the parents and family of the deceased, we urge the Lagos State government to adequately compensate them.
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