The family of Favour Ekemedili, a Senior Secondary School 1 pupil of the Cedar College, Baruwa, in the Ipaja area of Lagos State, has been thrown into mourning after she allegedly died of drinking a beverage said to be laced with an insecticide, Sniper, on the school premises.Favour was in the classroom receiving lectures with her classmates when she allegedly took the beverage.
Immediately after consuming the beverage, it was learnt that she started complaining of severe stomach ache and was rushed to the school’s sickbay for urgent medical treatment.
While the nurse on duty was examining her to ascertain the cause of the discomfort, our correspondent gathered that Favour’s classmates, who saw when she took the beverage, were said to have showed the school management the leftover.
The beverage, after being examined, was discovered to be laced with Sniper and this prompted the school management to rush her to the General Hospital.
The Principal of the school, Samuel Adeliyi, said the management discovered that the beverage that Favour took was the cause of her stomach ache, because her classmates saw when she consumed it.
While commiserating with the bereaved family, the principal said the school management had paid a condolence visit to the family.
Adeliyi said, “On that faithful day, the first period was over and the teacher had left the class for the next teacher to come in. While they were waiting for the next teacher to come in, the girl (Favour) stood up, brought out the drink from her bag, went to the window and started drinking it.
“As she was drinking it, she poured some quantity through the window. Her classmate even challenged her for pouring the beverage away, but she didn’t answer them and as the next teacher entered the class, she threw the bottle away through the window.
“Three minutes later, she started complaining of stomach ache and she fell down. The classmates quickly rushed her to the sickbay and while she was being attended to by the nurse, her classmates, who went in search of the bottle, brought it to the sickbay to show the nurse what she took. When they smelled the content, they realised that the drink was Sniper. So, the nurse realised that the case was beyond the capacity of the sickbay and rushed her to the hospital that the school uses.”
When contacted, the deceased’s mother, Nkem, blamed the school management for not properly monitoring her daughter while in their care.
“I don’t have any issue; I leave everything to God. Whatever I say cannot change what has happened. My daughter left my house and went to school; while in the class, was she monitored? But I leave everything to God because whatever I say cannot bring back my daughter,” she stated.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, in a statement on Sunday, said Favour died while receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.He added that the remaining content of the beverage bottle had been taken to the laboratory for testing.
He stated that the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department had commenced investigation into the incident.
Elkana said, “On Thursday, May 30, 2019, around 5.40pm, the Ipaja Police Station received a complaint from the Cedar College, Baruwa, that on the same date around 9am, one Favour Ekemedili, an SS1 pupil complained of severe stomach ache and was rushed to the school’s sickbay. The school’s sickbay immediately moved her to the general hospital, which in turn referred her to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she was admitted for medical attention.
“Her parents were contacted by the school authority. She died around 6pm while receiving treatment. Her friends, who witnessed the incident, stated that the stomach ache started after the girl took a beverage, known as Fanjuice. On a close check of the bottle, it was discovered that it contained an insecticide known as Sniper and not the beverage. The chemical substance was taken for laboratory testing. Homicide detectives from the SCIID are investigating the case.”