Mr Jubril Yakubu, a Prosecution witness, in the ongoing case between Lagos State Government and Chrisland School on Thursday told an Ikeja High Court that he was not aware that there were three Child Protections Officers from the School at Agege Stadium on the day of the Inter-House Sport.
Yakubu told court in an ongoing trial of the Chrisland School and it’s staff over alleged negligence by the state government before Justice Oyindamola Ogala.
The Lagos State Government had charged the school principal, vice principal and two others for negligence over 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 pleaded not guilty to the charge and the state commenced trial.
However, at the resumed hearing yesterday, the third prosecution witness was cross-examined by counsel to the 4th defendant, Mr. Ademola Animashaun, the witness said he is also not aware that the trio of Mrs Taylor, Mrs Fajemirokun and Mrs Oladimeji who were at the stadium on the inter-house sport day were present on February 14, because he did not check the attendees list.
Yakubu confirmed that he is aware that Chrisland School has trained their staff on safeguarding policy and that he was once a facilitator during such training.
When asked if he agrees that the primary responsibility of school safety rest on his ministry, he answered in the affirmative.
Yakubu also reaffirmed before the court that he is a Deputy Director with the Ministry of Youth and Social Development in Lagos State, noted that he does not know that the school had an emergency bus on ground on the day of the incident but he is 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 is aware that the deceased mother attended the inter-house sport, he said yes but he does not know if she was taken to the hospital by the school.
“I am aware that the deceased was taken to primary health center in Agege
and that the stadium is far from the Primary health center where she was taken to. I don’t know the time it took the school emergency bus to get to the hospital, he said .“
The witness also re-affirmed that the meeting of February 14,2023 is a 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 did my report whereby I also recommended that the cause of death should be looked into.”
When asked if he knows that his report contains wrong account because he did not capture the account of the school on what transpired on February 9 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 and but I can confirmed 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 is a qualified medical personnel and that the hospital is licensed.”
After listening to the witness evidence, Justice Ogala subsequently adjourned further proceeding to June 3, 6, 2024.
