A Deputy Director with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Jubril Yakubu, has told a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, that Whitney Adeniran, the late Chrisland School Girl, visited the hospital on January 20, 2023. Additionally, he mentioned that she attended school on February 1, 7, and 9 to take part in the inter-house sports activities.
However, he pointed out that she chose not to participate in the activities on the day of the inter-house sports.
Under cross-examination, counsel to the fifth defendant, Chrisland Schools, Demola Animashaun asked the witness, “Are you aware that she (Whitney Adeniran) did not participate in the activities on that inter-house sports day?”
The Lagos official said, “Yes and she was not forced by the school to participate.”
The witness clarified that matters related to emergency measures were beyond his jurisdiction. He emphasized that the inclusion of nurses during inter-house sports events should be considered as part of emergency preparedness, extending beyond solely addressing emergencies.
Additionally, he stated that he had the competency and authorization to address emergency signals based on the findings from the fact-finding meeting conducted with the school.
During further cross-examination, he admitted that he was unaware of the exact number of schools in District Six as of December 31, 2023. However, he affirmed his responsibility for overseeing more than 1722 schools approved by the Ministry of Education.
He said: “Mine has to do with social services and I have the competence to speak about District Six.
“I also do not know off-heart how many students are subject to social risk exposure in District Six, but in each of the schools, the school should have a designated safeguarding and child protection officer appointed among the staff of the school that takes the lead. Mrs. Tawa Sodiq, a school social officer in District Six reports to me.”
After his testimony, Justice Oyindamola Ogala discharged the witness, before adjourning to June 13 for continuation of the trial.