Abuja school closed for one week over death of four-year-old

The Brickhall School, Abuja on Wednesday announced that it has decided to mourn the memory of its late four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke by closing down the school for one week.

Ovoke was declared dead by Excel Specialist Hospital, Abuja.

The medical report, signed by Dr. Akinwande Ajayi, on behalf of the medical director, indicated  that he was brought in, “on account of aspiration on meat while feeding at school.”

The hospital said upon examination, the medical team found that the boy’s pupils were fixed and dilated, with a nonreactive response to light.

His peripheral pulses were said to be “impalpable, blood pressure was unrecordable, and there was no cardiopulmonary activity or respiratory excursions.”

The report indicated that all efforts of the medical team to resuscitate him failed.

The report concluded that he was “Brought in Dead.”

Meanwhile, the school, in a statement released on Wednesday and signed by its management, said it 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.

While noting the decision to mourn the late pupil by closing the school for one week, the school respectfully urged everyone connected to the tragedy to respect Miguel’s memory with dignity and peace while allowing medical professionals and law enforcement agencies to conclude with the autopsy.

The school said, “It is with profound sorrow and deepest sympathy that we at Brickhall School, Management, and the Parents Teacher’s Forum express our heartfelt condolences to the family of our dearly beloved pupil, Miguel Ovoke.

“We are devastated to report that Miguel tragically passed away on April 24, 2024, following a sad incident where he choked on a piece of meat offal from his meal brought from home, despite the immediate and expert care provided by our dedicated staff and certified school nurse.

“In response to this heart-wrenching event, we convened an urgent meeting with our school community on the day of the incident.

“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.”