Chrisland School Trained Staff On Safeguard Policy. I Was A Facilitator – Witness
Kemisola Oye
MR Jubril Yakubu, a prosecution witness in the ongoing case between the Lagos State government and Chrisland School earlier today (Thursday 2nd May 2024) told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja that he was not aware that there were three Child Protection Officers from the school at Agege Stadium on the day of an inter-house sports competition.
He informed the court presided over by Justice Oyindamola Ogala that he was also not aware that the trio of Mrs Taylor, Mrs Fajemirokun and Mrs Oladimeji who were at the stadium on the day of the inter-house sports competition were present on 14 February because he did not check the attendees list.
Chrisland School and four staffer members including the school principal, vice principal and two others were alleged by the Lagos State government of negligence over the death of a 12-year-old student, Whitney Adeniran, during an Inter-house sports competition that was held at the Agege Stadium, Lagos State.
The defendants were charged before the court on 30 March 2023, and they all pleaded not guilty.
At the resumed hearing and while being cross-examined by counsel to the 4th defendant, Mr Ademola Animashaun, the witness confirmed that he was aware that Chrisland School trained its staffers on safeguard policy and that he was once a facilitator during such training.
When asked if he agrees that the primary responsibility of school safety rests on his ministry, he answered in the affirmative.
Mr Yakubu, the third prosecution witness, reaffirmed before the court that he is a Deputy Director with the Ministry of Youth and Social Development in Lagos State, noted that he did not know that the school had an emergency bus on ground on the day of the incident but he was aware that they have a school bus at the venue.
“I am aware that the school had a nurse on ground, but I don’t know if there were any first aiders on ground on the day of the incident. “
When asked if he was aware that the deceased mother attended the inter-house sport, he said yes, but he doesn’t know if she was taken to the hospital by the school.
“I am aware that the deceased was taken to a primary health centre in Agege and that the stadium is far from the primary health centre where she was taken.
“I don’t know the time it took the school emergency bus to get to the hospital,” he said.
Barrister Animasaun using his phone showed the witness GPS timing, which indicated that the driving distance between the stadium to the hospital was three minutes.
The witness also reaffirmed that the meeting of 14 February 2023 was fact-finding and that he wrote his report based on the findings at the meeting held on the cause of death.
“I don’t know whether the autopsy report was out as at the time I wrote my report whereby I also recommended that the cause of death should be looked into.”
When asked if he knew that his report contained the wrong account because he did not capture the account of the school on what transpired on 9 February 2023, he replied in the negative.
“I was not aware that the school got to know about the death of the deceased until after the event but I can confirm that the commissioner ordered the closure of the school after the incident..
“I can also confirm that the doctor at Agege Central Hospital, where the deceased was taken to, was a qualified medical personnel, and that the hospital was licensed.”
After listening to the witness evidence, Justice Ogala thereafter adjourned further proceedings till 3, 6, June 2024.
Eighteen-Eleven Media
