‘They’re aware she was ill’ — Chrisland reacts after parent’s outburst over dead student

Chrisland School says Whitney Adeniran, its student who slumped to her death during a sports event, was ill 20 days prior.

Blessing Adeniran, the bereaved mother, had accused Chrisland of negligence after Whitney died on February 9.

She said the school made no provision for emergency response at the event, hence didn’t administer first aid.

The mother said the 12-year-old had no pre-existing heart condition despite the doctor’s allusion to a cardiac arrest.

But, in a statement to TheCable, Chrisland said Whitney had reported “not-too-buoyant” health on January 20.

The school said it opted to take Whitney to a health centre, and not a hospital, based on proximity considerations.

“Whitney was one of our day students who opted not to participate in the inter-house sports match past for reasons we were not very sure about,” the school’s management said.

“However, on discretion, we respected her decision to err on the side of caution because, on the 20th of January, it is in our records that she complained about not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents.

“Her father, Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasized to her parents to take a critical look at her.

“It is instructive to state that Whitney slumped in public view and not under any hidden circumstances whatsoever.

“Our immediate response was to take advantage of proximity by identifying the nearest medical facility to take her to, where the doctor on duty administered oxygen and every aid possible to her.”

Chrisland dismissed allegations of any foul play in the student’s death while citing that she slumped in public.

“Even as her family made funeral plans, we differed politely and reiterated the need to establish a scientific verification of the underlying cause of death as mandatorily required in circumstances like this,” it added.

“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 was a minor deserving of our unqualified respect.

“As we continue to uphold the sobriety of this moment. We resist any urge to join issues or trend her treasured memory on media traffic.

“As we eagerly await the outcome of independent post-mortem processes, we remain unwaveringly committed to supporting the family at this critical moment and pray fervently for the fortitude to bear this painful loss.”

This is not the first time Chrisland School Lagos would be at the centre of a crisis involving one of its students.

In mid-2022, four teachers were arraigned after a sex tape by Chrisland pupils surfaced online during an outing.