The father of the late student of Chrisland International School, Whitney Adeniran, who died under controversial circumstances during the school’s inter-house sports competition on Monday, told Lagos State High Court in Ikeja that his daughter was already dead before she was taken to the hospital.
Michael Adeniran, who was testifying as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the principal of the school and three others, told the court that the school nurse allegedly gave him the information when he got to the hospital.
The witness also claimed that the nurse had informed him that the deceased’s eyes had dilated, but she could not confirm her death because she was not a doctor.
The Lagos State government had dragged Chrisland School Limited and its principal, vice principal and two employees before the court on a two-count charge of Involuntary Manslaughter and Reckless and Negligent Acts contrary to Sections 224 & 251 of the Criminal Law, C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015
Those docked before the court for the alleged offence are Ademoye Adewale, Kuku Fatai, Mrs Belinda Amao, Nwatu Ugochi Victoria, and Chrisland School Limited.
The state claimed that the defendants, on February 9, 2023, at about 1 pm, at the Agege Sports Stadium, Agege, Lagos, in the Ikeja Judicial Division, killed one Adeniran Omodesola Whitney by acting recklessly and negligently that, endangered her life.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when it was read to them by the court’s registrar.
While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Adeniran told the court that although his daughter was absent from school on February 2, 2023, it was not due to illness.
He said that on January 20, 2023, the school had called his wife (the deceased’s mother) to inform her that Whitney was ill.
The witness testified that his daughter was then taken to Inland Specialist Hospital at Ikeja, and the doctor prescribed some drugs for her to be taken and the dosage, but that he didn’t know the name of the drugs.
He explained that he got to know the name of the drugs from the doctor’s report obtained from the hospital issued on February 16, 2023.
Adeniran mentioned the names of the drugs as nitrazepam, 5mg, and amitriptyline, 12.5mg, which he read from an exhibit before the court.
Asked if he was informed by the Agege Central Hospital and Diagnostic Limited that the deceased died of cardiac arrest, the witness replied that he was told that she died of cardiac arrest.
He told the court that he could not remember anybody informing him that oxygen was administered to her at the hospital.
The witness also told the court that he could not remember if the school nurse mentioned anything about applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the deceased.
“The Nurse said she tried all she could but that Whitney had already died before taking her out of the stadium.
“She said her eyes had already dilated but that she could not pronounce her dead because she was not a doctor,” he said.
The trial judge, Justice Oyindamola Ogala, adjourned the matter till January 24, for continuation of trial.
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