Sad Story Of How 5-Year-Old Chidera Eze Of Redeemers School Drowned During Swimming Lesson, Lagos State Government Reacts | See Details
The sad story of five-year-old pupil of the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba, Lagos State, Chidera Eze, is currently making headlines and it is really heartbreaking.
According to reports, Chidera drowned during a swimming lesson organized by the school in the Ikeja area of the state.
It was gathered that some teachers and caregivers of the school took Chidera and his colleagues for the swimming lesson at the Ivory Health Club, Ogundana Street, Ikeja.
During the training, Chidera and his colleagues were said to be playing at the tip of the pool when he slipped into it.
His father, Anthony, while speaking to reporters said the teachers, caregivers, and lifeguards were not aware that his son had fallen into the pool until he drowned.
He said,
“I dropped my children at the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School on Acme Road, Ogba, on Monday morning, and I went to work. At 10.52 am, I got a call from their headteacher, Mrs. Adeola Oladipo, and she told me that my son was involved in an accident and that he had been rushed to the Ikeja Medical Centre.
I rushed down there, but what I saw was the lifeless body of my son. I asked the headteacher what happened and she said she did not know. I asked the doctor what happened and he said he was brought in dead. I asked the teachers, caregivers, and workers at the club what happened and they gave no explanation.
As I was crying, my wife came in; I was trying to manage the information, but the headteacher also informed her and as she ran into the hospital, I became totally confused. I went to the Area F Police Station and after the policemen took pictures of my son’s corpse, we went to the club.
When we got there, we discovered that it was the adult swimming pool section that they took the pupils to. I was alarmed and while the policemen were investigating, we realized that CCTV was installed at the club. So, we demanded to check the CCTV footage and it revealed everything.”
Anthony claimed that the footage revealed that his son was in the pool for over 30 minutes before he died, adding that his son’s corpse was discovered by another person, who came to swim in the pool.
He further said:
“In the footage, we saw that the school brought more than 15 children, took them to the adult side of the swimming pool, and made them sit at the tip with their legs in the water and without wearing any kits. We saw only one caregiver in the video and she was just going in and coming out, leaving the children unmanned.
“My son was at the tail end of the line when he slipped into the pool the first time but he was able to bring himself out of the pool. But the second time he slipped into the water, he could not come out. All these happened and none of the teachers, caregivers, and lifeguards took notice of what was happening.
“My son was under the water for over 30 minutes and we were all shouting as we watched the video. Another pupil also fell into the water, but her colleagues raised the alarm and they pulled her out while this was going on, nobody noticed my son was inside the water.
“My son died because of the recklessness of these people who were supposed to take care of him. I want justice to forestall this kind of thing from happening again. The caregivers, lifeguards, school management, and the Ivory Health Club can’t go unpunished. My son’s corpse has been deposited in the morgue.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Ministry of Education has shut the school. The Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, announced the shutdown on Monday.
According to the commissioner, the school is yet to complete its registration. The commissioner made this known in a statement titled, “Lagos State Shuts Redeemers Nursery and Primary School’.
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The statement reads,
“The school will remain closed, pending an administrative investigation of its operations and procedures as well as the conduct of its officials – in line with schools’ safety standards and guidelines.
“The investigation is sequel to the death of a five-year-old pupil, who is suspected to have drowned during a swimming lesson while in the custody of the school.
“The police are investigating the matter. A preliminary probe by the Office of Education Quality Assurance of the Ministry has shown that the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba, is yet to conclude its registration and is, therefore, not yet an approved school.
“The Ministry is concerned about the safety of the pupils, hence the need for intervention.
“The school will remain closed until all the required approval processes are concluded. Parents are advised to note the closure and wait for the conclusion of the administrative investigation.”