Chrisland School Management Confirms Death Of 12 Year Old Student In Their Care

The management of Chrisland schools has given its account of the incident that led to the death of one of its students, Whitney Adeniran. 12-year-old Whitney died during the school’s inter-house sports competition at Agege Stadium in Lagos State, Nigeria on Thursday. The school management further reveal that Whitney slumped in public view and not under hidden circumstances. According to the father of the deceased, Dr. Michael Adeyemi Adeniran, Whitney had no health condition or sickness as of the time the school bus picked her up for the event.

Michael Adeniran added that no explanation was given to him and his wife by the school authority regarding their daughter’s death.  He said his wife was present at the stadium, but the school did not call her attention to the incident immediately.

Mr. Adeniran subsequently called on the Lagos State Government and the police to look into the matter and ensure that justice is done. He asked why the school had no ambulance or paramedics at the event, except for a “quack” nurse whom he said confessed that the child died at the stadium.

Reacting, the management and staff of the Chrisland school said they feel the deep pain of Whitney’s death, adding that their thoughts and prayers were with the family. The statement reads; “The management and staff of Chrisland Schools Limited, with a deep sense of loss, announce the death of our precious student, Whitney Adeniran; whose painful exit occurred on Thursday, February 9th, 2023.

“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 some health condition and we immediately contacted her parents.”

The school management said Whitney’s father, “Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasized to her parents to take a critical look at her.”

Also according to the school, Whitney slumped in public view and not under hidden circumstances. The statement added, “Our 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 is deserving of our unqualified respect. We also prioritized respect to the privacy of the family and we are with them consistently, to mourn together. This is a painful loss for all of us,” the statement concluded.

However, the mother of the deceased girl, in a video posted earlier, lamented that Whitney was not taken to a hospital; she was taken to an immunization centre. According to her words; “My pain is that there was no proper first aid management, there was no proper management, there was nothing that was done for her; she was brought to the hospital dead,” she said.

In 2022, a video depicting improper acts among some students of the school, who went for a trip to Dubai went viral. The alleged scandal had happened when Chrisland School was in Dubai in March 2022 to take part in the World School Games, a four-day annual competition with schools from all over the world. The development came less than four years after a teacher in the school, Adegboyega Adenekan, was convicted and sentenced to 60 years imprisonment for raping a two-year-old female pupil.