THE Lagos State Government is set to charge Chrisland School, some members of staff, and a vendor to court in relation to the death of a student, Whitney Adeniran.
The charges are for involuntary manslaughter, reckless and negligent acts, and will be brought under sections 224 and 251 of the Criminal Law, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, disclosed this through the Office of the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Justice on Friday, March 24.
Adeniran reportedly slumped during her school’s inter-house sport on February 9. She was rushed to Agege Central Hospital, Agege, Lagos, but was confirmed dead on arrival by the doctor on duty. An autopsy conducted by the state government later revealed that the 12-year-old died from asphyxia and electrocution.
The state government subsequently ordered a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death. The Coroner, Magistrate Olabisi Fajana, announced that the inquest would commence on April 4.
The case was referred to the Nigerian Police Force, which carried out a thorough investigation with the help of other agencies. The file was subsequently forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution’s Office on March 20 for the duplicate case file review.
On March 23, the DPP issued legal advice stating that a prima facie case of involuntary manslaughter and reckless and negligent acts had been established against the School, some members of staff, and one of the vendors.
While noting that the culprits will be filed in accordance with the legal advice issued by the DPP, Onigbanjo added that the Certified True Copies of the Legal advice will also be available on the state’s Ministry of Justice website.
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