The management of Chrisland schools has broken its silence after the death of a 12-year-old student, Whitney Adeniran, who passed away on Thursday, during the school’s inter-house sports activities at Agege Stadium, Lagos State.
The father of the deceased young girl, Michael Adeniran, took to social media on Saturday night, to call on the Lagos State Government and Police to probe the incident resulting in the death of his daughter.
According to him, his daughter had no health condition or sickness as of the time the school bus picked her up for the sporting event.
This is not the first time the school has been involved in controversial issues regarding the well-being of students and many people have demanded that justice be served on the matter.
In a statement on Sunday, Chrisland Schools expressed sadness over the incident, describing the death as painful and the institution is heartbroken and depressed.
The school refuted the claims that Whitney participated in sports activities during the inter-house sports, stressing she did not give any reason for her refusal.
They recalled that Whitney complained of health issues in January and the parents were contacted before her father came to the school to take her home.
The school said the deceased slumped in public view and not under any hidden circumstances and was rushed to the nearest medical facility for first aid.
Chrisland, however, appealed to the Adeniran family to establish a scientific verification of the underlying cause of their daughter’s death before her burial.
The statement read: “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 the January 20, 2023, it is in our records that she had complained about a not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents.
“Her father, Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasised to her parents to take a critical look at her.”
“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 to 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 prioritised according respect to the privacy of the family and were with them consistently, to mourn together. This is a painful loss for all of us.
“As we continue to uphold the sobriety of this moment, we resist any urge to join issues on her treasured memory, in media trends.
“As we await the outcome of an independent post-mortem process, we remain unwaveringly committed to supporting the family at this critical moment and pray fervently for the fortitude to bear her painful loss.”