News

Chrisland: Lagos Govt Tenders 3 Documents Against Staff As Whitney’s Father Testifies

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2023

Lagos State Government on Thursday tendered three documents in evidence against four staff of Chrisland Schools, charged with involuntary manslaughter of a 12-year-old student, Whitney Adeniran.

Ademoye Adewale, Kuku Fatai, Belinda Amao and Vicoria Nwatu are standing trial on a two-count charge of involuntary manslaughter and reckless negligent acts.

They are charged before an Ikeja High Court but pleaded not guilty.

Whitney allegedly slumped and died during the school’s inter-house sports at Agege Stadium on Feb. 9.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr Babajide Martins, tendered the documents while leading Whitney’s father, Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, in evidence.

Justice Oyindamola Ogala admitted the documents in evidence as there was no objection from defence counsel.

The documents are a medical report from Agege Central Hospital, a medical report from Inland Hospital, Lagos, and a printout of a screenshot of conversations from a snapchat group page entitled “Lagos Housewives”.

The father of the deceased, a businessman, told the court that his daughter left his house on Feb. 9 hale and hearty for the school’s inter-house sports.

He said that his wife was at the inter-house sports but was not informed that her daughter had been taken to hospital when the alleged incident occurred.

He said: “My wife called me and said she was told that Whitney slumped and had been rushed to a hospital.

“She said that the principal of the school told her that Whitney was already coming up before she left to the hospital.

“I told my wife to go and check up on her at the hospital and, if need be, she should let me know so that I could be there.

“After 10 minutes, she called back and said, ‘Start coming to Agege Central Hospital.’”

Adeyemi testified that he left everything he was doing and proceeded to Agege.

“It took me about 45 minutes to locate the place because it could not be found on Google Map.

“Eventually, when I arrived, I saw my wife by the roadside, she waved at me to stop.

“I got out of the car and told my personal assistant to leave the car on so as to quickly pick her (Whitney) up and take her to our family hospital at Ogudu.

“My wife told me to go inside and pray for my daughter, maybe she would wake up. I got inside, I saw her lifeless body on a table in a small room,” he said.

The witness said that he thought that his daughter was given an injection and was sleeping.

“In that room, I saw some teachers; so I went close to my daughter. I raised her up to my body, shouted and tapped her to wake up.

“I prayed but nothing happened. I shouted, I tapped her severally, nothing happened.

“I asked for the doctor of the facility. I knelt down before the doctor to do whatever she could to wake my daughter up but she responded that there is nothing she could do,” he told the court.

Adeyemi quoted the doctor as saying that Whitney was brought in dead.

“I stood up and went back to the room where she was laid, while the school nurse was still standing close to her.

“I asked the nurse what happened to Whitney, and she told me she slumped.

“She said my daughter died at the stadium before she was brought to the hospital but she could not pronounce her dead because she was not a medical doctor,” he added.

He also testified that the doctor later came and told him that she would like to see him privately.

“The doctor told me that she would advise me not to waste time in burying my daughter.

“She really persuaded me. The principal and the school nurse were present.

“She said I should make sure I bury her in time and not put her in morgue and that I should not think of conducting any autopsy on her.

“I nearly agreed at a point because I did not know morgue and I had never bought a coffin.”

He told the court that the day before Whitney’s death, he played with her and she was hale and hearty.

“So I started asking myself why I should bury my daughter in a hurry without knowing what happen to her.

“The doctor told me to think of the money and the pain I would go through in the process of autopsy but I asked her, ‘What pain is worse than death of a child?’”

He said that he decided to find out the cause of is daughter’s death.

Adeyemi said that later, his wife heard some noise from Whitney phone but she did not know the phone’s password.

“My sister-in-law, Amaka, knows the password; so she opened the phone and messages started dropping from her snapchat group called ‘Lagos Housewives’.

“Some students sent messages there, saying that they knew the school would not tell the parents the truth.

“One of the students said, ‘We were there and we saw what happened. She was electrocuted.

“Another one said, ‘I saw Whitney on the iron rail close to the candy machine. The wire of the machine shocked like mad, she fell on the ground, started foaming in her mouth, and one stupid man came and started putting water on her.’

“At that time, I remembered her black lips and black tongue I saw when I saw her lifeless body at the clinic,” the witness said.

The witness further told the court that members of the school’s management came on a condolence visit and told the family not to go on social media.

“I spoke with the principal and she told me that the cause of her death might have been heart attack but I do not believe her because the autopsy result says otherwise and my suspicion was that it might have been electrocution.

“This is because I have seen people electrocuted,” he said.

The judge adjourned the case until June 1 for the continuation of the cross-examination of the witness.

News

Why I Picked Amupitan As INEC Chair – Tinubu

Published

3 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday explained that his choice of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission was based on his apolitical stance, integrity and impeccable record of service.

“President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical,” a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted him as saying.

The President spoke at the State House, Abuja, during the meeting of the National Council of State, which unanimously endorsed the nomination of Amupitan to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman ended on Tuesday.

Tinubu told council members that Amupitan, a professor of law from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the top electoral job.

Council members, including serving and former leaders, backed the nomination, describing the professor as a man of proven integrity.

Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, said Amupitan’s track record “reflects a deep commitment to justice, knowledge, and national service.”

Following the council’s approval, the President is expected to transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.

Aged 58, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A professor of law at the University of Jos, Plateau State, he is currently the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees in law from the University of Jos, after earlier studies at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988, Amupitan has built an extensive academic and administrative career spanning over three decades.

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014 and has written extensively on company law, corporate governance, and evidence law.

His published works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013).

Beyond academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the Council of Legal Education.

He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.

The Kogi-born scholar, described by colleagues as “a jurist of quiet influence,” is married with four children.

When confirmed by the Senate, Amupitan will become Nigeria’s 15th INEC chairman.

News

Meet New INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan

Published

3 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appointment, which was confirmed by the National Council of State on Thursday, follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu from the electoral body.

According to a statement issued by Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a native of Kogi State will head Nigeria’s election management agency.

The law professor hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi state.

Amupitan, who currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, has spent more than three decades in academia and legal practice.

He joined the institution in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a Reader in 2003 and a Professor of Law in 2008.

Details from the University of Jos website show that the new INEC boss obtained all his degrees, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate, in Law from the same university.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after completing his programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

Amupitan’s areas of academic and professional interest include Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.

He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession.

Beyond academics, Amupitan has held several administrative and national positions.

He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Public Law, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos.

He has also represented the institution on several boards, including the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, where he served as a member of the Governing Council.

He was, until his nomination, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.

The legal scholar has authored and co-authored over 50 academic publications, with research spanning corporate governance, electoral law reform, and petroleum industry legislation.

He has supervised more than a dozen doctoral and master’s students in law.

Professor Amupitan is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the National Association of Law Teachers.

Outside academics, he has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, Riss Oil Limited, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council.

He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.

News

Elder Statesman Christopher Kolade Dies

Published

3 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Veteran broadcaster and former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 92.

The family announced the elder statesman’s death in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the late former Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria died peacefully on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement read in part.

Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and corporate governance, among other things.

Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Kolade was the son of an Anglican missionary. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he completed his higher education.

Kolade began his career in broadcasting, eventually rising to the position of Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

He later became Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, where he was widely recognised for his ethical leadership and corporate reforms.

The deceased also served Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, leaving behind a legacy of diplomacy, integrity, and professionalism.

Kolade taught Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at the Lagos Business School and Leadership & Conflict Management at the School of Media & Communication, both part of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

Kolade, a former member of the university’s Governing Council, also served as its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, and was later Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.

Deeply committed to promoting ethical standards in business, Kolade chaired several integrity-driven organisations, including Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.