After Whitney Adeyemi, a student at Chrisland School in Opebi-Ikeja, passed away, the Lagos State Government yesterday ordered the school’s temporary closure.
Yesterday, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, issued a statement outlining the order.
Adefisayo stated that the closure was ordered until the unfortunate incident was thoroughly investigated.
She stated, “We commiserate with Mr. and Mrs. Adeyemi, parents of Whitney, over the death of their daughter. On behalf of the state Ministry of Education.”
“We also note the impact that this unfortunate event has had on Whitney’s family, friends, and acquaintances, and we urge calm while promising that every effort will be made to investigate the incident. We ask that her soul rest in peace.
In the meantime, the circumstances of Whitney’s death, which occurred on Thursday during the school’s sporting event, are the subject of controversy.
This was in response to claims made by some of the students that Whitney, a 12-year-old, was electrocuted, in contrast to claims made by the management of Chrisland International High School that Whitney slumped in full view of the other students and under no cover.
However, Dr. Michael Adeniran, the bereaved father, stated that the battle line had been drawn and that legal action would be taken against the school for its statement that his deceased daughter was ill.
Electrocution Whitney was “electrified by a naked wire from a cotton candy machine,” according to some of her schoolmates who claimed to have witnessed the incident that resulted in her death.
In an audio recording of a school group chat, one of them said that Whitney and her friend went to a cotton candy stand to buy candy when tragedy struck.
“I don’t know what happened when they got to the stand, whether she placed her hand or leg on something,” the student asserts. However, we suddenly noticed that Whitney was being thrown to the ground and pulled up by a powerful force. At that point, people began showering her with water. The candy stand owner immediately turned off the machine and fled through the fence.
Before taking Whitney to the hospital, there was no medical staff available to assist her or give her first aid. Until the school nurse arrived, fellow students were putting water on her. Since there was no ambulance at the location, they had to transport her in the school bus because the nurse couldn’t do much.
The position taken by the school, on the other hand, excused itself from responsibility by stating that the school’s immediate response was to locate the closest medical facility, where the on-call doctor administered oxygen and every possible aid to the student.
The school’s management issued the following statement: Chrisland Schools Limited’s management and staff are deeply saddened by Whitney Adeniran’s passing on February 9, 2023. Whitney’s tragic passing occurred on that fateful day.
“Whitney was one of our Day students who, for reasons we were unsure of, decided not to participate in the Inter-House Sports march-past. However, we respected her discretion to err on the side of caution because our records show that on January 20, 2023, she complained of not being in very good health and we immediately contacted her parents. Mr. Michael Adeniran, her father, came to the school to bring her home. We advised her parents to evaluate her carefully.
“It is instructive to state that Whitney slumped in public view and under no concealed circumstances,” according to the article.
How I found out my daughter had passed away while playing inter-house sports Whitney’s mother, Mother Mrs. Blessing Adeniran, has shared her story on social media about how she found out her daughter had passed away.
Yesterday, the distraught mother posted a video to her Instagram page in which she said she was informed that her daughter was in a coma and had been rushed to the hospital.
According to Blessing, she rushed to the hospital right away, but the incorrect address made it difficult for her to locate it. But when she finally found her daughter, she said Whitney had already died and that her tongue and lips were black.
She stated, relating her ordeal, ” We drove out of the stadium to the gate and inquired of the hospital’s gatemen, who said they were unaware. We asked people where Central Hospital was as we drove, but they all replied that they only knew Agege General Hospital. We decided to go to Agege Central Mosque because we couldn’t find it. As we got closer to the mosque, we saw that the school bus was full, so we knew we were there.
When we saw the school bus, I jumped out of the car and rushed inside. When I asked Whitney’s companion staff, “Madam, where is my child, what happened, why did she faint,” they replied, “I don’t know, she’s in there,” I saw her. Desola didn’t say anything to me when I went inside and saw my daughter’s body. When I entered, I found my daughter lying on her deathbed; she had already passed away.
She was completely submerged in water and dripping with it. I knelt down, yelled, screamed, and prayed to God. There was no pulse when I felt her pulse. My daughter did not speak. When I inquired about my daughter’s condition, the doctor informed me that she had suffered from cardiac arrest.
