Chrisland School: Witney Adeniran’s Parents to Testify at Coroner Inquest April 17

Wale Igbintade

The Coroner, Magistrate Olabisi Fajana has invited parents of late Witney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student of Chrisland International School Limited who died on February 9, 2023, to testify at the Coroner inquest.  The court disclosed that parents of the late student are to testify on April 17.

The Coroner Magistrate disclosed this yesterday, when she ruled on the application of Chrisland International School Limited seeking samples of materials to carry out an independent evaluation of the autopsy report conducted by the Lagos State government.

Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo had on February 13, ordered a coroner’s inquest to establish the cause of Whitney’s death.

By Section 14(1)(d) of the Coroners’ System Law of the Lagos State, “A report of death shall be made to any of the agencies for the report of death or the office of the Coroner and be subject to post-mortem examination where there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of death was: violent, unnatural or suspicious.”

“Section 15(1) and (9) further enjoins the Coroner to hold an inquest whenever he or she is informed that the death of the deceased person was in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation or believes an inquest is desirable following the report of a reportable death.”

On March 2, the state government announced that Witney died as a result of Asphyxia and electrocution.

This was stated in the post-mortem report received by the state on the cause of Adeniran’s death.

The coroner inquest was then fixed for April 4, to commence hearing.

However, on April 3, Chrisland School filed an application, seeking for an order of the court, granting leave to the applicant to be supplied with and have access to items from the chief medical examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital or relevant officer so as to enable the school consult with an independent pathologist.

 The items the school asked for were the paraffin block of the skin sample and slides from which the diagnosis of electrocution was made.

Others items requested were samples of the urine, blood and other body fluid collected during autopsy, and samples of bone and muscle taken from the deceased for purpose of DNA independent analysis.

Also requested were all photographs taken during the conduct of the autopsy, copies of all histology slides reported as part of the post mortem examination, copies of any other working sample and documents made in the course of the autopsy and result of all toxicology test conducted.

When the matter came up yesterday, Magistrate Fajana granted all the request of the applicant.

The court ordered that the chief medical examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital should supply all the listed items to the applicant’s pathologist laboratory on the day of the forensic consultation.

Fajana ordered that the consultation should be under the supervision of the chief medical examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital or relevant officer.

Others to be present are the parents of the deceased.