Whitney Adeniran: Prosecution tenders 3 documents against Chrisland staff as father testifies – Newstrends
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Whitney Adeniran: Prosecution tenders 3 documents against Chrisland staff as father testifies

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Chrisland Schools and Whitney Adeniran

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.

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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.

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“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 continuation of cross-examination of the witness.  (NAN)

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Ibadan Pastor ends 30-year-marriage over sex dispute with wife

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Ibadan Pastor ends 30-year-marriage over sex dispute with wife

A Mapo Grade A Customary Court sitting in Ibadan on Friday acceded to prayers of one Pastor Olamide Agbejaife to end the 30-year cohabitation between him and his estranged wife, Mary, for frequently denying him sex denial and food poisoning.

Agbejaife, a resident of Olodo in Ibadan, told the court that his wife’s behaviour took a negative turn after he received a revelation in 2017 that he would marry another wife.

He claimed that since then, Mary had stopped engaging in sexual intimacy with him and had even attempted to poison him.

“On Dec. 6, 2021, I had a serious stomach upset after eating food given to me by Mary,” Agbejaife said.

“She also cursed me on several occasions without reason.

“After our first child was born in 1995, she started leaving our home without permission, often without providing any explanation.

“In fact, when I underwent surgery in 2022, Mary abandoned me for 14 months and only resurfaced later.”

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Agbejaife also revealed that Mary had told someone he had died after a poisoning incident.

In her response, Mary, a trader, pleaded with the court not to terminate their 30-year relationship, expressing her desire to enjoy the fruits of her labour and the children they had together.

“Agbejaife was the one who stopped having sexual intimacy with me and even moved out of the house,” Mary told the court in her defence.

“We have never had any physical fights, although we did quarrel occasionally,” she admitted.

Delivering judgment, the court’s President, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, ruled that Agbejaife and Mary were free to go their separate ways, as Mary was no longer interested in the relationship.

Owoseni pointed out that the union was not a valid customary marriage in the first place because the petitioner, Agbejaife, had not paid the bride price to the respondent.

Citing various sections of the law, the court held that none of the evidence provided by either party indicated that a dowry had been paid.

” This is a fundamental requirement for a valid customary marriage in Nigeria,”she said.

The court also struck out the prayer seeking to restrain Mary from harassing, threatening, or interfering with Agbejaife’s private life, as Agbejaife did not provide sufficient evidence to support his claim.

Ibadan Pastor ends 30-year-marriage over sex dispute with wife

(NAN)

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BREAKING: Protest in Rivers over emergency rule [VIDEO]

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BREAKING: Protest in Rivers over emergency rule [VIDEO]

A large group of women have protested the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the ongoing emergency rule in the state.

The demonstrators gathered outside the State Government House in Port Harcourt and led a procession through the streets of the city.

Chanting songs in solidarity with the suspended governor and holding placards, the women demanded the restoration of democratic leadership.

Governor Fubara was suspended in a controversial manner in March after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state. The federal government appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator to oversee affairs for an initial period of six months.

However, the protesting women accused the federal government of using the emergency rule to push a political agenda, not to address any real security threat.

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“This imposition is not driven by any genuine threat to national security but is clearly a politically motivated manoeuvre aimed at subjugating our people and undermining our constitutional democracy,” the women said in a statement titled “Liberation Walk and Call for the Restoration of Democratic Leadership.”

They criticised the Sole Administrator, accusing him of acting beyond his powers and trying to take control of the state unjustly.

The protesters questioned why a state like Rivers, which has remained relatively peaceful, is under emergency rule, while more troubled states like Borno, Zamfara, and Kaduna have not received the same treatment.

“What we are witnessing is not governance—it is occupation. Not democracy, but autocracy,” the women declared.

The group made several demands, including: immediate reinstatement of Governor Fubara and other democratic institutions in Rivers State; an end to the military-style emergency rule, which they described as unconstitutional and unjustified; intervention from respected Nigerian leaders and diplomats to help reverse the decision; support from civil society and the international community to defend democracy in Rivers State.

They warned that women and youths in the state would no longer remain silent in the face of what they called repression and political takeover.

“Rivers State is the heart of the Niger Delta. Peace has prevailed in our communities. We will not allow anyone to steal our voices or subvert our will. Democracy must be restored,” the statement by the protesters added.

BREAKING: Protest in Rivers over emergency rule [VIDEO]

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Ekiti govt engages Muslim leaders after Mosque demolition tension

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Ekiti govt engages Muslim leaders after Mosque demolition tension

The Ekiti government has engaged in peace talks with Muslim leaders under the aegis of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) in a bid to ease tensions following the demolition of a mosque in Aramoko LGA in the state.

Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye, who met with the religious leaders, assured them that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji remains committed to religious harmony and peaceful coexistence.

The mosque in question was allegedly demolished to pave the way for an ultra-modern market, a constituency project of Senate Leader and Ekiti Central Senator, Opeyemi Bamidele.

Speaking during the meeting, Afuye stated that the Alara-in-Council, led by the Alara of Aramoko Ekiti, Oba Olu Adeyemi, had already allocated another plot of land for the rebuilding of the mosque.

She urged the Muslim community to remain calm and assured them of the government’s commitment to justice.

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“I am even happy that the Alara of Aramoko Ekiti is a Muslim leader. He can’t be in a place where you will be cheated,” Afuye said.

“We will convene a stakeholders’ meeting soon to ensure a peaceful resolution.”

The Deputy Governor added that the Senate Leader’s project was intended to develop the town in a way that benefits all residents, including Muslims, and that the provision of a new plot for the mosque shows the community’s respect for Islamic worshippers.

In response, SCIA President, Dr. Hameed Bakare, commended the government’s swift intervention and expressed hope for a timely and amicable resolution.

“We want this matter resolved quickly. We believe Governor Oyebanji will not allow it to fester,” he said.

Chief Imam of Aramoko Ekiti, Alhaji Abdul-Raheem Bamigbola, raised concern that two mosques had been demolished in the community within six months for development projects, with little effort made to rebuild them.

He stated that while the Muslim community supports development, their place of worship must be restored at a suitable location.

“We appreciate Senator Bamidele’s developmental strides, but he must fulfill his promise to build another mosque for us,” the Imam said.

Ekiti govt engages Muslim leaders after Mosque demolition tension

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