Abuja school condoles with family of dead pupil

The management of Brickhall School, Abuja, has condoled with the family of its late four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke, who died on April 24, after allegedly choking on a piece of meat.

Mrs Janet Agu, the school’s spokeswoman, in a statement on Wednesday, said the pupil choked on a piece of meat in the home-packaged meal he ate during school hours.

Mrs Agu said the school was greatly saddened that the life of the pupil could not be saved despite the timely response of its trained nurse and the eventual decision to rush him to a hospital.

The statement reads in part: “While noting the decision to mourn the late pupil by closing the school for one week, the school urges everyone connected to the tragedy to respect Miguel’s memory with dignity and peace.

“Medical professionals and law enforcement agencies should be allowed to conclude the autopsy.

“Out of respect for Miguel’s memory and to honour his bright spirit, we suspended classes for over a week, allowing our community time to mourn and reflect on this profound loss.

“We have cooperated fully with the relevant authorities to ensure a thorough and compassionate resolution for everyone affected, especially Miguel’s grieving family.

“The leadership of both the school and the Parent-Teacher Forum has visited Miguel’s family to offer our support and condolences during this indescribably difficult time.

“We stand with them in their grief and extend our support to all who loved Miguel, his friends, classmates and our entire community.”

She noted that the narrative shared in public would not always capture the complexity of the painful moment.

She added that as the school resumed, particularly for students preparing for their senior and junior school certificate examinations, the management reaffirmed its commitment to the wellbeing and education of all its students.