WHITNEY ADENIRAN: NO NEED FOR A STADIUM TO HAVE EMERGENCY UNIT - WITNESS TELLS COURT

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Mr. Jubril Yakubu, a Deputy Director with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, has told an Ikeja High Court that there was no emergency facility at the stadium rented by Chrisland school for its inter-house sport competition.

Mr Yakubu, who is the third witness stated this while giving his evidence during cross-examination by the third defence counsel, Mr Olukayode Enitan (SAN), on Thursday, in the trial of the Principal and some staff members of Chrisland School Opebi, over the death of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student of the school, before Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the State High Court, Ikeja.

According to him, sports facilities in the state were owned by the state government while admiting that the stadium as rented out to the school lacked emergency facilities in case of any accident or emergency. According to him, “there was no need for it”..

Yakubu was asked if it was part of the work of the Sports Commission to establish and make sure that there were proper medical facilities to treat emergencies and he replied in the negative.

Earlier in the cross-examination, the social worker was asked to read the Official Gazette of Lagos State No.9 volume 50 which was admitted as an exhibit.

He said the commission was created by the law of Lagos State and that the law No. 4 stated the function of the commission.

According to him, the commission was establish to maintain playing fields and premises for holding sports competitions, matches etc. in which the district had socio-worker service in charge.

He said that District Six covers: Oshodi, Ikeja, Opebi Allen, Agege, Isolo, Abule Egba and the boundary of Ogun State and he did not know all the social workers in District Six.

The witness also told the court that he did not know if it was normal for people to pay for the usage of sports facilities and that he knew Agege Stadium as part of the recreational centre.

He was therefore asked to read the Order Four of the Executive Order, 2016 which he admitted that it applied to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Sport and not every other officer in Lagos State’s Public sector.

Yakubu had in his testimony told the court that he had an official meeting held in 2023 with the staff of Chrisland School and that there were minutes and video recordings of what happened in that meeting.

The witness, however, said he did not have the minutes of the meeting at his disposal.

” I do not have the minutes of the meeting because am not the admin secretary,” he said.

JAMB DIRECT ENTRY: HARDSHIP, EXTORTION MARS REGISTRATION IN LAGOS

The Lagos State Government on March 31, 2023, charged Chrisland School Ltd Opebi, its principal and vice principal and two others with the death of Whitney Adeniran.

Adeniran, a 12-year-old student at Chrisland School, was allegedly electrocuted on February 9, 2023; during the school’s inter-house sports event at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.

Those charged alongside the school are Ademoye Adewale (a cotton candy vendor), Kuku Fatai, Belinda Amao (Principal) and Victoria Nwatu.

The judge adjourned the case until April 18 for continuation of trial.