The Management of Chrisland School has finally apologised for its silence over the death of 12-year-old Whitney Adeniran, who died from asphyxia and electrocution.
Adeniran who attended the Opebi, Ikeja branch of the school, died in a mysterious circumstance on February 9, 2023, during the school’s inter-house sports held at Agege Stadium in Lagos.
Recall that the school’s management had tried to cover up the cause of girl’s death saying Whitney complained about “not-too-buoyant health” a few days before she died and dismissed insinuations that there was a foul play in the death case while citing that she slumped in public.
“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.
“On January 20, 2023, it is in our records that she had complained about not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents.
“Her father, Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasized to her parents to take a critical look at her,” it stated.
However, last week the Lagos State government confirmed that the student died from asphyxia and electrocution.
This was disclosed in a statement from the office of the attorney-general and commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo.
According to the statement, the post-mortem report issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, traced the cause of death to asphyxia and electrocution.
The statement added that the directorate of public prosecutions (DPP) had been instructed to issue legal advice on the matter with immediate effect.
Reacting to the report, the management of Chrisland School said in a statement on Sunday (yesterday) that it was aware of the developments around the autopsy report on the death of the student and expressed its deepest regret to the school and the media for being silent out of shock and moral rectitude.
“We are deeply saddened and sorry about Whitney’s death. We are remorseful and sorry to Whitney’s parents. We are sorry to our parents and the entire community that hosts our school. We are also very sorry to the nation at large. It was a huge loss to the school.
“We express equal measure of apology to the Nigeria Media, another critical stakeholder, in case we have sent unbearably quiet signals. We have been quiet because this was death so shocking, we opted more for introspection and moral rectitude rather than strutting around the media space to seize narratives.
“More so, we considered it imperative to allow the parents and indeed the entire Adeniran family the honour of their privacy as we all mourn this unfortunate loss. Whitney Adeniran was a bright and lovely student. She was popular and friendly. Her memory lives with us.
“We hereby vehemently refute the claim making the rounds that Chrisland School intends to exhume Whitney’s body. We have no such plan and assure the public that we are also parents in mourning and will not do or subscribe to anything that paints such insensitive optics that prevents our dear daughter from resting.
“We assure you all that no such thing will happen. Rather than do this, plans are underway to immortalize Whitney’s name so she can remain indelible in our consciousness. This is without prejudice to the ongoing Corona inquest but it is a honour we owe her,” the school said.
It added that while not pre-empting the investigation, the school would like to state that the management “understands and appreciates the outpouring of emotions from the unfortunate incident” adding that it had adopted the caution of quiet sobriety and refrained from responding to every issue on the social media because of its conviction that Whitney’s memory is better served with moral rectitude and a sober introspection.
“Responding to every sensation or misinformation peddled, therefore, does not serve this purpose and we, therefore, continue to uphold restraint. Unfortunately this quiet is coming with regrettable, misconstrued conclusions.
“Nonetheless, Chrisland Schools will continue to cooperate with the authorities throughout the duration of the investigations, and also offer the parents every necessary support in this grieving period.
“As an organisation, Chrisland School expresses its total trust in the investigation process, which was why the School authority insisted on the Corona Inquest in the first place, to help clear every doubt against insinuations of a cover-up and to provide us with learning curves to guard against future occurrences, not only to Chrisland students but also other young ones out there that may be recreating in public facilities.
“Notwithstanding the above, we shall continue to cooperate and submit to due diligence till the Corona inquest runs its full course which would accord our beloved Whitney, her family and indeed ourselves, a closure. We owe Whitney this dignity and our sincere and unreserved demonstration of respect.
“In the meantime, we have continued to engage the Adenirans. We are not relenting, because she is our daughter too and we shall always be there with the family to navigate this dark period. To all those who have stood truly by us and the Adenirans at this trying moment, we convey our sincere gratitude,” the stated.
