Brickhall School in Abuja announced on Wednesday its decision to observe a mourning period for its late four-year-old pupil, Miguel Ovoke, by closing the school for one week.
According to the medical report signed by Dr. Akinwande Ajayi, on behalf of the medical director, Ovoke was brought in “on account of aspiration on meat while feeding at school.”
The hospital’s examination revealed fixed and dilated pupils, nonreactive response to light, impalpable peripheral pulses, unrecordable blood pressure, and no cardiopulmonary or respiratory activity. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, the medical team was unsuccessful, and he was declared “Brought in Dead.”
Meanwhile, the school, in a statement released on Wednesday and signed by its management, expressed deep sadness over the loss of the pupil despite the timely response of its trained nurse and the decision to rush him to the hospital.
In addition to mourning the late pupil by closing the school for one week, the school respectfully urged all those affected by the tragedy to honor Miguel’s memory with dignity and peace while allowing medical professionals and law enforcement agencies to conclude the autopsy.
The statement from the school read, “With profound sorrow and deepest sympathy, we, at Brickhall School, along with the 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 honor his bright spirit, we suspended classes for over a week, allowing our community time to mourn and reflect on this profound loss.”