Whitney Adeniran: Defendants not in charge of stadium electricity — Witness

A Lagos State Safety Commission officer, Engineer Wahab Ariyo on Wednesday, told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja that his investigation into the tragic death of Chrisland Schools student, Whitney Adeniran found no evidence implicating any defendants with the control or supply of electricity at Agege Stadium.

The state government on March 30, 2023, arraigned a Cotton Candy vendor, Ademoye Adewale, the school’s instructor Kuku Fatai, the principal of the school Belinda Amao, the school Nurse Victoria Nwatu, and Chrisland School Limited, over the death of Whitney.

At the resumed hearing of the matter before Justice Oyindamola Ogala, prosecution witness Wahab Ariyo stated that his inquiries revealed no connection between the defendants and the power supply during the inter-house sports competition at which the fatal incident occurred.

Ariyo’s testimony comes from Maidstone’s allegations by the Lagos State Government that Chrisland Schools and its staff were negligent in their duty of care.

“My report did not feature non-Chrisland staff who witness the incident on the 9th of February,” Ariyo asserted while under cross-examination by Mr Oluyele Delana (SAN), one of the defense counsel in the case.

Ariyo explained that his report prepared after his initial visit to the Agege Stadium reflects only the observations from that single inspection.

He admitted that he had made a second solo visit to the scene which was not documented in his report.

“My report does not reflect any additional visits, nor does it feature the testimonies of non-Chrisland staff who witnessed the incident on February 9,” he added.

The officer further clarified that he did not determine the source of the stadium’s electrical power during his visit. “I did not ask the stadium manager about the power supply. I only observed that each vendor had brought individual generator sets to operate their machines,” Ariyo noted. He emphasized that he neither inspected these generator sets nor recorded their specifications, adding, “I do not know the brand, voltage capacity, or the capacity required to cause electrocution.”

Ariyo also admitted that he had not requested or seen the medical report from Inland Specialist Hospital, nor had he interviewed the deceased’s parents or consulting doctor because it was not necessary.” he stated.

Defense counsel Delana SAN, however, raised concerns over gaps in the investigation, including the omission of a second site visit and the failure to incorporate testimonies from other witnesses.

The case was thereafter adjourned until March 19 for continuation of trial.