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

A prosecution witness in the ongoing matter on the death of Whitney Adeniran, a student of Chrisland Schools, on Wednesday, told Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja that his investigations did not reveal that any of the defendants were responsible for electricity in the stadium where the school held its inter-house sports competition.

The witness, Wahab Ariyo, an officer with the Lagos State Safety Commission, said this while being cross-examined by the counsel to the third defendant, Olukayode Enitan (SAN) in the case filed by Lagos State Government against Chrisland School and its staff over alleged negligence on the death of its student, Whitney Adeniran who died during the sport at Agege Stadium.

Ariyo who said that nobody told him Whitney died from electrocution, added that he discovered during the investigation, stating that his agency’s report on the cause of death of Whitney Adeniran, a student of Chrisland Schools, was based on interrogation and pictures taken after her demise at the Agege Stadium.

He further noted that Chrisland Schools was not present at the stadium on the day he inspected the Agege Stadium but insisted that the inspection of the premises revealed infractions.

According to the witness: “The report is a reflection of what we observed on the day of the inspection. In our report, a reassessment was said to have been conducted, but we were not there because we were not called upon.

“I am not aware that reassessments were conducted on two occasions, specifically on January 13, 2023, and February 8, 2023.

“I do not know the role the third defendant played because I was not at the stadium on the day of the inter-house sports. The accident report was not presented to the Safety Commission before the final report was sent to the Ministry of Education,” he added.

Ariyo admitted that he did not request the medical report of the deceased student, Whitney, nor did he visit her parents to obtain her medical history.

He said, “I did not before now see the medical report issued by Inland Specialist Hospital on the late Whitney.

“Our investigation did not indicate that the third defendant was responsible for electricity at the stadium, and none of the defendants were found to be in charge of electricity at the stadium.”

Justice Ogala adjourned until December 11, 2024, for a continuation of the trial.

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