Controversy Surrounds The Tragic Death Of 12-Year-Old Chrisland Student Who Reportedly Died While Attending School’s Interhouse Sports
A Nigerian mum, identified as Mrs. Blessing Adeniran had gone online to demand answers from the management of Chrisland High School in Lagos state after her 12-year-old daughter, Desola Whitney Adeniran, reportedly slumped and died while attending the school’s Interhouse sports held at the Agege Stadium last Thursday, February 9.
In a video uploaded on social media, the heartbroken mother stated that she was at the event to watch her daughter participate in the sport competition.
According to Mrs Adeniran, she became worried when she didn’t see her daughter during the previous match as well as other sporting events.
She then decided to go to the location where the pupils were all confined to check on her child but a male student informed her that a particular Whitney had fainted and had been rushed to the hospital.
Mrs. Adeniran added that one of the staff saw her and told her that Whitney had been rushed to the hospital and on getting there, she met her daughter’s corpse.
The devastated mother said that the school claimed her 12-year-old had a cardiac arrest and collapsed. Mrs Adediran said her baby girl was not sick and never had any pre-existing heart condition and wonders why she would suffer a cardiac arrest.
She is demanding the school comes clean to her with regards to what really happened to her child so she can bury her child in peace.
The management of Chrisland school, on the other hand, issued a statement in response to Mrs Adeniran’s cry for justice. In the statement issued on February 12, school officials begged for prayers for the deceased’s family.
It was stated that following the tragedy, various regulatory organizations, including the Police, were called in order to determine the cause of the terrible exit by autopsy. The school also says it will in due course, update everyone with a full report of the incident.
The statement reads;
“The loss of one of our precious children at the Agege Stadium during our annual Inter House Sports competition is really disheartening and tragic .
We are absolutely heartbroken, shattered and grieve with the family. Words are not enough to express our sadness and it is only God that can comfort the family, friends and the entire School community.
As we continue to grieve over this sad loss, we want to use this medium to encourage all members of the Chrisland family and community of parents to keep the family in prayers, remain strong and focused on God.
In spontaneous response to the incidence, we immediately contacted all regulatory institutions and especially the Police to establish the cause of this unfortunate exit through autopsy.
We shall in due course, update all parents with a full report of the incident. We wish to thank all of you for the concern, support and prayers during this time of grief and we pray that God will give the family and the school the fortitude to bear this painful and irreparable loss.”
The management went further to narrate their own side of the incident. Chrisland School explained that about two weeks prior, Whitney had complained of ill health and chose not to participate in the school’s march-past.
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 march 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.”
The school also reacted to the bereaved mother’s accusation that her daughter was taken to an immunization centre instead of a hospital after she slumped.
“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,”
the statement read further.
Chrisland also appealed to Whitney’s parents to establish a scientific confirmation of the basic cause of her death before her burial.
The statement continues:
“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.”
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The school also stated its commitment to support the family of the deceased, while being sober over the sad incident.
“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,”
the statement added.
However, in a leaked audio, an alleged Chrisland student claimed that 12-year-old Whitney didn’t slump during their Inter-House Sports as claimed by the school management.
The yet-to-be identified student who made this claim in a trending audio said that contrary to the school’s claim that Whitney slumped, she died after mistakenly touching a naked wire from a cotton candy vendor machine.