Court To Rule On Admissibility Of Evidence May 2

Justice Oyindamola Ogala of Ikeja High Court, on Thursday, adjourned until May 2 to rule on the admissibility of treasury receipts used for the Agege Stadium where the 12-year-old Chrisland School student, Whitney Adeniran, allegedly died.

This position was reached by Ogala following arguments and counter-arguments on the admissibility of the exhibits identified by the prosecution witness, Mr Yakubu Jubril, a social worker at the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

During the continuation of cross-examination by the third defence counsel, Mr Olukayode Enitan, (SAN), the witness was asked to identify some documents he claimed to be government treasury receipts.

The learned silk informed the court that the documents were dated Nov. 7 2018, Jan. 8, 2020, Sept. 26, 2016 and Jan. 9, 2023, which were payments for use of the Agege Stadium.

The witness identified them as documents from the Lagos State Government Youth Sport and Social Development.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, objected that the witness was not the maker of the documents.

The third defence counsel, however, argued that they were treasury receipts for the use of Agege Stadium by Chrisland School.

He said the documents were relevant because the Lagos State Government collected payments for the use of the facility.

Other defendants counsel aligned with the senior advocate’s submission.

Counsel to Chrisland School, (fifth defendant),  Mr Ajibola Ariba, argued that the evidence must be relevant to the issue.

Ariba said the officer of the Lagos State Government identified the documents.

The witness, while responding to the question asked by the third defence counsel, told  the court that the school did not report the incident at the station when it happened.

He added that apart from the Ministry of Education, the police, safety commission and Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team  needed to know about the incident.

The witness also admitted before the court that all facilities rendering services to children must report serious occurrence of event.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Lagos State Government on March 31, 2023, charged Chrisland School Ltd. Opebi, its principal and vice principal and two others with the killing of Whitney.

Those charged alongside the school are Ademoye Adewale (a cotton candy vendor), Kuku Fatai, Belinda Amao (Principal) and Victoria Nwatu. (NAN)