The Lagos State Government has accused Chrisland School Limited and four other individuals on two counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless behavior, and negligent acts in connection with the passing of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student.
On Thursday, they will all be formally charged before Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Ikeja branch of the Lagos High Court. The four additional individuals are Ademoye Adewale, Kuku Fatai, Belinda Amao, and Nwatu Victoria, all of whom are employed by the school.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Babajide Martins, brought the charges on behalf of the state government. According to the DPP, by failing to ensure Whitney Adeniran’s safety on February 9 at around 1 p.m. at Agege Sports Stadium, they all killed her carelessly.
They were all charged with acting negligently and carelessly in a way that put human life in danger.
Sections 224 and 251 of the Criminal Law, C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015 are violated by the offenses.
If found guilty, the offenses carry a sentence of either life in prison or two years in jail.
According to a report from Channels TV, it was discovered that the duplicate case file in the legal opinion dated March 22 states that the incident occurred during an inter-house sport that Chrisland High School, Ikeja, organized for its students on February 9, 2023, at the Agege Sports Stadium. Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student, was electrocuted during the event.
In fact, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital’s 9-page autopsy report
Asphyxia and electrocution were listed as the causes of death by Ikeja (LASUTH).
Adeniran is alleged to have collapsed on February 9 at the Agege Sports Stadium during the school’s inter-house sports event.
She received first aid from the on-call nurse before being taken to Agege Central Hospital in Agege, Lagos, where the on-call doctor declared her dead.
Although the school has 556 students and expected about 1,000 people to attend the inter-house sports, preliminary reports from the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and statements from top school officials obtained by the police show that 12 educators were placed in charge of roughly 90 students in the school.
Additionally, it was discovered that the school administration had not exercised due diligence in obtaining a license from the Lagos State Safety Commission to use the stadium space reserved for that number of people.
According to the DPP, this unequivocally demonstrates that the suspects owed the deceased a duty of care, that duty was broken, and that break caused the deceased’s death.
While the DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins, will lead the legal team for the Lagos State Government, the defense team is led by four senior Nigerian advocates: Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Mr. Yele Delano (SAN), Chief Richard Ahonaruogho (SAN), and Mr. Olukayode Enitan (SAN), who is also leading other counsel.
