By Adesina Wahab

THE Lagos State government, yesterday, insisted that Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos, will remain shut, just as the school management said that it has no plans to exhume the late girl’s body. 

The state government said the school will remain shut until it is satisfied that the lives of students in the school are not endangered and other safety concerns are addressed.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, the state government said it has taken several steps, since February 10, this year, when it got the report of the death of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old pupil of the school. 

The commissioner assured that anyone found culpable in the case would be held accountable and made to face the law. 

Adefisayo said: “On February 10, 2023, the Lagos State government received a report of the death of Whitney Omodesola Adeniran, a 12-year-old student of Chrisland High School, who was said to have slumped during her school’s inter-house sports competition on February 9, 2023.

“The Lagos State Joint Task Force in charge of the implementation of the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, which comprises Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and Lagos State Safety Commission, embarked on various fact-finding visits.

“Officials visited the school premises and Agege Stadium, the venue of the inter-house sports activities. A condolence visit was made to Whitney’s family to commiserate with them and reassure them of the state government’s commitment to ensuring we unravel the facts surrounding the unfortunate incident.

“The school was also closed to students since the incident borders on the safety of children. The closure equally paved the way for unhindered investigation and afforded all stakeholders, including parents, students, staff and friends of the deceased, time to grieve.

 “Given the circumstances surrounding the death of the child, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice immediately ordered a coroner’s inquest into the matter to ascertain the cause of death. A team, led by the Director-General Office of Education Quality Assurance, had a meeting with the management of the school on the 14th of February, 2023, to ascertain adherence to child safeguarding policies as regards the planning of the inter-house sports event and aftermath of the unfortunate incidence. It was discovered that there were lapses.

“The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, conducted the autopsy on the 15th of February, 2023 by the Consultant Pathologist, LASUTH, Prof. S.S. Soyemi, in the presence of Dr Samuel Keshinro, Consultant Pathologist representing the family of the deceased as well as Dr O.O. Oyewole, Consultant Pathologist representing Chrisland Schools.

“Given the findings of the autopsy report, dated March 1, 2023, which revealed the cause of death as asphyxia and electrocution, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice directed that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions issues Legal Advice on the matter.

“On March 2, 2023, the Commissioner of Education led a delegation to commiserate with Whitney’s family and to directly convey Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to ensuring justice for Whitney.

“Without prejudice to the criminal proceedings, the state government’s position is to the effect that the secondary school will remain closed to further interrogate endangerment of students and other concerns.” 

No plans to exhume Whitney Adeniran’s body—Chrisland Sch mgt 

Meanwhile, the management of Chrisland School has said that it has no plans to exhume the body of Whitney Adeniran. Rather, the school said efforts are being made to immortalize the deceased.

Blessing Adeniran, Whitney’s mother, had accused Chrisland of negligence at the competition that led to her death.

Consequently, the state Ministry of Education ordered temporary closure of the school pending an investigation.

It later disclosed that an autopsy conducted on February 15 showed the girl died from asphyxia and electrocution.

Lagos State officials, therefore, raised an alarm that they learned of a dialogue seeking to exhume the body of the girl, arguing that conditions that would warrant this under the coroner system law don’t apply in Whitney’s case.

However, in a statement to TheCable said that effort is instead underway to immortalise Whitney’s name in the school.

“We vehemently refute the claim making the rounds that Chrisland intends to exhume Whitney’s body. We have no such plan and assure the public that we are also parents in mourning and will not do or subscribe to anything that paints such insensitive optics that prevents our dear daughter from resting.

“We assure you all that no such thing will happen. Plans are underway to immortalize Whitney’s name so she can remain indelible in our consciousness,” the school said.