News

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

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2023

Editor

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

NDPC Fines MultiChoice ₦766m For Data Privacy Violations

Published

28 minutes ago

July 6, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined MultiChoice Nigeria ₦766,242,500 for breaching the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

NDPC is a public institution that processes data in furtherance of its mandate as Nigeria’s data protection authority and relies on recognised lawful bases for data processing, such as consent, legal obligation, and contract.

The commission’s Head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

According to Bamigboye, the fine followed an investigation launched in the second quarter of 2024 into suspected violations of subscribers’ privacy rights and the unlawful cross-border transfer of Nigerians’ data.

“NDPC found, among other things, that MultiChoice violated the data privacy rights of its subscribers and individuals associated with them who are not necessarily subscribers.

“The commission also discovered that MultiChoice engaged in the illegal cross-border transfer of personal data belonging to Nigerian data subjects.

“The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary and disproportionate.

“This is a grave affront to fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Bamigboye said.

According to him, Nigeria is entitled to protect its citizens and data sovereignty under both international and existing municipal laws, as these have far-reaching implications for the rule of law, national security, and economic growth.

Bamigboye added that, in the course of the investigation, in line with the NDPA standard remediation procedure, the commission directed Multichoice to undertake appropriate remedial measures.

“However, the commission found the measures undertaken by Multichoice in this regard unsatisfactory.

“For want of cooperation, the commission has directed multichoice to pay N766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act.l,” he added.

The NDPC’s National Commissioner, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, was also quoted as directing that all channels through which Multichoice collects the personal data of Nigerian citizens be investigated for non-compliance.

According to him, any outlet that processes personal data in violation of the NDPA is liable to a penalty under the Act.

NDPC is a public institution that processes data in furtherance of its mandate as Nigeria’s Data Protection Authority and relies on recognised lawful bases for data processing, such as consent, legal obligation, and contract.
(VANGUARD)

News

Okpebholo Approves N1bn Annual Bursary For Edo Students

Published

52 minutes ago

July 6, 2025

Editor

Monday Okpebholo of Edo has approved a ₦1 billion annual bursary scheme for students of Edo origin enrolled in tertiary institutions across the country.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Benin by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Fred Itua.

According to the statement, Okpebholo pledged during a recent town hall meeting with youths in response to a passionate appeal by several Edo youth leaders.

They had urged the government to provide financial support to indigenes pursuing higher education in universities and other tertiary institutions nationwide.

The governor stated that the bursary, which would be disbursed annually, was designed to alleviate the financial burden on students and their families.

He said that eligibility would be verified through the applicants’ local governments of origin to ensure that only genuine Edo indigenes benefited from the scheme.

Okpebholo added that the initiative forms part of his administration’s broader commitment to promoting educational access, academic excellence, and youth empowerment.

The governor said details on application procedures and timelines would be released soon by the relevant government departments and agencies.

News

FG Extends ‘Amnesty’ For Visa Overstay

Published

5 hours ago

July 6, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has granted a two-month extension of amnesty to foreigners who might have overstayed their visas.

The expired visa initiative is to enhance compliance with the new visa regime and reinforce a secure and transparent migration system.

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had at a meeting with the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association NECA in March said the government would begin a serious clampdown on irregular migrants in the country as from August 1.

Accordingly, he announced a grace period of three months from May 1, when the new Expatriate Administration System EAS will take place, to August 1, when the government would begin enforcement.

Providing an update on the issue, the Spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, said, “The initiative, which commenced on May 1 2025, runs until September 30 2025, and specifically applies to individuals who have either overstayed their visas or violated their visa conditions.”

According to him, the initiative provides a unique window for foreigners currently residing in Nigeria with expired immigration status to regularize their stay without facing penalties.

He said, “⁠The amnesty applies to the following categories: Foreign nationals with Expired Visa on Arrival VoA; Holders of Expired Single and Multiple-Entry Visas; and, Individuals with an Expired Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC), where renewal has exceeded 30 days post-expiration”.

According to him, all affected foreign nationals are urged to promptly regularize their stay through (https://amnesty.immigration.gov.ng) within the grace period to avoid overstay penalties.

“To ensure the Amnesty application process is seamless, the Nigeria Immigration Service has assembled a support team to assist with Amnesty applications. Contact the support team via email at: amnesty@immigration.gov.ng

“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to facilitating lawful migration, safeguarding National Security, and promoting transparency and efficiency across all immigration processes. ⁠For further information, kindly visit the Nigeria Immigration website www.immigration.gov.ng.”