Renowned human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has taken on the case of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student who died while participating in a sports event at Chrisland High School in Lagos on February 9. Falana’s law firm, Falana & Falana Chambers, has been enlisted to represent the Adeniran family as they seek a coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding Whitney’s death.
Blessing, the mother of the deceased, has accused Chrisland School of negligence in handling her daughter’s case before she died. She alleges that the school did not have any provision for emergency response during the event and did not administer first aid to Whitney, despite her daughter showing no signs of a pre-existing heart condition. The doctor’s report alluding to a cardiac arrest was not conclusive according to the mother.
Following the incident, the Lagos State Ministry of Education has ordered a temporary closure of the school, pending an investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, the law firm, Falana & Falana Chambers, has written to the chief coroner at the high court in Ikeja, requesting an inquest to determine the cause of Whitney’s death.
In the letter to the chief coroner, the law firm stated, “We have been engaged by the family of the late Whitney Adeniran to facilitate the unraveling of the mystery behind her sudden death at Chrisland International High School, Opebi, Lagos on February 9. It was alleged that the young girl went to school on the day with no sign of any ailment only for the parents to get to know later that she had passed on without any justifiable explanation from the school management.”
The Lagos Government has ordered a thorough investigation into Whitney’s death and has previously announced the need for a “thorough” probe. With the involvement of Falana & Falana Chambers, the Adeniran family hopes to get to the bottom of the tragedy and determine what happened to their daughter.
