WHITNEY ADENIRAN: THIRD DEFENDANT’S COUNSEL DISAGREE WITH WITNESS ON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AT THE STADIUM
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At the resumption of the cross-examination of the third prosecuting witness in the trial of Whitney Adeniran, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, the third defendant’s counsel, has disagreed with Yakubu Abisogun, a Lagos State Social Welfare Officer on who is ultimately responsible for providing medical and safety precautions: Chrisland School or the state government.
Yakubu Abisogun, the officer, informed an Ikeja High Court on Thursday, that the state is not in charge of making sure the students competing in the inter-house sports championship at Agege Stadium have access to adequate medical care.
CRIME: MY 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS DEFILED BY A FAMILY FRIEND – FATHER TELLS COURT
CRIME: MY 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS DEFILED BY A FAMILY FRIEND – FATHER TELLS COURT
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Whitney, a Chrisland School student, allegedly electrocuted herself on February 9, 2023, at an inter-house sporting event at Agege Stadium in Lagos State. Her age was twelve.
Enitan reminded the judge that the witness had previously testified that the state government is not required by law to guarantee Agege Stadium safety procedures are followed or to provide medical facilities.
The document titled “A Law Amending the Lagos State Sports Commission Law 2017” contained a subsection 3(2) that he made the witness read. It said that the Sports Commission is empowered to make sure that adequate medical facilities are available and to take safety precautions for the health and safety of athletes and spectators in stadiums.
The witness said, “I have read it [the law] but I don’t know. I am not part of them.”
Justice Oyindamola Ogala accepted the paper that the third defendant’s attorney had submitted to the court, containing the Sports Commission law, as evidence.
Enitan presented the witness with a few payment receipts from Chrisland School for the use of Agege Stadium. The receipts, which the witness verified were issued by the state treasury, had the name of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Social Development.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, objected to the application on the grounds that the receipts were not provided by the witness’s office—rather, they were issued by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development. This was his attempt to present the receipts as evidence.
However, the counsel to the second, fourth and fifth defendants; Richard Ahonaruogho, Ademola Animasaun and Ajibola Ariba respectively, asked the court to admit the receipts as evidence on the grounds of relevance as the witness is a government worker and the treasury bills were issued by the state government.
Still under cross-examination, Enitan told the court that Chrisland School wrote to the Ministry of Education on February 10, 2023, and also informed the police of the incident.
He then asked Abisogun to confirm that his earlier testimony was wrong about the school not escalating the incident before his office learnt of the matter and began a fact-finding mission.
The witness said he was not wrong in his earlier evidence as there is a template for the school to report to other state agencies including Child Protection, Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the Safety Commission.
Further, Enitan said to the witness, “I put it to you that your evidence that Chrisland school had only one nurse to over 500 students and guests is false.
“The school had two registered nurses, three Red Cross (First Cadre) and five other staff that could give first aid”; but the witness answered in the negative.
The judge, Ogala, adjourned the matter to May 2, 2024, for continuation of trial.
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