Abuja school mourns death of 4-year-old student after home-cooked meal

Brickhall School in Abuja mourns the death of its four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke, who died after choking on a piece of meat from a home-cooked meal he ate during school hours.

Mourning the death of the student, school authorities said they were deeply saddened that the student’s life could not be saved despite the timely response of his trained nurse and the eventual decision to urgently take him to a hospital.

While noting the decision to mourn the late student by closing the school for a week, the school respectfully urged all those associated with the tragedy to respect Miguel’s memory with dignity and peace, while allowing medical professionals and law enforcement agencies conclude the autopsy.

The school principal said: “It is with deep sadness and deepest condolences that we at Brickhall School, Management and the Parent Teacher Forum express our deepest condolences to the family of our beloved student, Miguel Ovoke.

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

“In response to this heartbreaking event, we called an urgent meeting with our school community on the day of the incident.

“Out of respect for Miguel’s memory and to honor his brilliant spirit, we suspended classes for more than a week, giving our community time to grieve and reflect on this profound loss.

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

“The management of both the school and the Parent Teacher Forum have personally visited Miguel’s family to offer our support and condolences during this indescribably difficult time. We are with them in his pain and we extend our support to all those who loved Miguel: his friends, classmates and our entire community.

“As our school resumes, particularly for students preparing for their Senior and Junior School Certificate exams, we reaffirm our commitment to the wellbeing and education of all our students.

“We have continued to work closely with medical professionals, authorities and Miguel’s family to clarify the circumstances surrounding this tragedy.”

The school also reiterated that its duty of care has been efficient and has never recorded an incident of this magnitude.

He said his staff was trained in emergency procedures and first aid, adding that the licensed school nurse followed established procedures for handling such emergencies.