School mourns pupil who died allegedly after choking on meat in Abuja, parents allege cover-up
The management of Brickhall School, Abuja, has condoled the family of its late four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke, who died on April 24 after allegedly choking on a piece of meat during a meal.
Mrs Janet Agu, the school’s Public Relations Officer, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, said the school was mourning the late pupil.
She said the pupil had allegedly choked on a piece of meat in the home-packaged meal he ate during school hours.
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.
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“While noting the decision to mourn the late pupil by closing the school for one week, the school respectively, urged 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 with the autopsy.”
Agu said the school had in response to the heart-wrenching incident, convened an urgent meeting with the school community on the day of the incident.
“Out of respect for Miguel’s memory and to honor 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 Parents Teacher’s 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,” Agu said.
According to her, as the school resumes, particularly for students preparing for their Senior and Junior School Certificate examinations, the school management reaffirms its commitment to the well-being and education of all its students.
She said the school would continue to work closely with medical professionals, law enforcement agencies and Miguel’s family to clarify the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Agu said the school would strive for transparency and sensitivity in the matter.
She added that the narrative shared in public would not always capture the complexity of the painful moment.
Family Counters School
Meanwile, Parents of the four-year-old pupil of BrickHall Schools at Cadastral Zone B11, Kaura District, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Miguel Ovoke, called on the FCT Educational Authority to shut down the school, following the result of autopsy alleging that their child died of electrocution and not choking as reported.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the parents, in company of some angry youths, stormed the school premises to protest against the death of the boy, since the autopsy had revealed that the boy died from electrocution and not choked to death while eating, as alleged by the school authorities.
According to the information, some joint security personnel, in an attempt to prevent the protesters from causing damage and taking laws into their hands in the school premises, started shooting into the air.
One of the protesters, who preferred anonymity, said the police were among the security personnel using tear gas to disperse angry parents and other protesters.
She alleged that the security personnel also threatened to shoot the protesters if they refused to leave the school premises.
It can be recalled that tragedy had struck in the school in April, when the four-year-old pupil died during the school’s feeding hours, and the parents of the boy had said that they suspected foul play in the death of their son.
According to the death certificate dated April 24, 2024, issued by Excel Specialist Hospital, Abuja, Miguel Ovoke was brought to the hospital by his teachers around 11am in an unconscious state.
Credit: NAN/Leadership
