Lagos pupil knocked down on playground by teacher’s car

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In what appears to be a sad turn out of events, a 10-year-old pupil identified simply as Rofiat has been reportedly knocked down by a teacher’s car while playing in school.

The deceased who was a pupil of the Isiu Grammar School, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, was said to have been playing with her friends on the school playground while preparing for the closing period when the incident occured.

It was gathered the Nissan car which knocked Rofiat down, suddenly started to roll backwards towards her direction while she was playing and didn’t notice until she got hit.

Sources said the vehicle which belongs to a teacher identified simply as Dele, was parked some meters away from where the students were playing and had been there since morning when the teacher arrived.

“We were told that the incident happened around 1pm. The car had been parked there since morning when the teacher arrived. We don’t know how it managed to move from the position.

“Meanwhile, Rofiat was backing the moving vehicle. The moment the vehicle hit her, the impact made her hit her forehead on the ground. It was other students who rushed to call the teachers who came to the scene and found her motionless.” A resident of the area said adding that the deceased was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

“She was taken to Isiotu General Hospital where she was admitted and attended to. It was later that the medical staff members there discovered that her case had become critical. That was when they referred those who took her there to Agbowa General Hospital. On getting to Agbowa, she was immediately taken to the emergency section where she was later confirmed dead.

“Following her death, some police officers came to the school premises to take photographs and also interrogated some teachers who were on duty when the incident happened,” the resident added.

It was also gathered that the owner of the car was taken into custody after he went to the police station to report the incident.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin who confirmed the incident on Thursday said, “Yes, it happened. The owner of the car was taken into custody. An investigation is ongoing.”

In a recent development, The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, has inaugurated a 23-man National Planning Committee in preparation for the marking the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

The Minister who performed the ritual on Thursday in Abuja, charged members of the newly inaugurated committee to give their best contribution to the event which is set aside to celebrate the fallen heroes and veterans who sacrifice much to the nation.

Abubakar in a statement released on Thursday by the acting Director of Press of the ministry, Attari Hope, said that the Federal Government remains grateful to the fallen heroes who laid their lives to guarantee the corporate existence of this country.

The statement read in part, “They have given their lives for the peace and security of our dear nation and are therefore worthy of being celebrated as a mark of appreciation, and the events are specifically organised to honour and celebrate those that have laid down their lives in the defence of our territorial integrity and promotion of global peace.”

He, therefore, urged members to come up with laudable initiatives and events to celebrate the patriotism displayed by the nation’s fallen heroes noting that members of the National Planning Committee were drawn from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

The Armed Forces Remembrance Day is an annual event marked on January 15 to commemorate the nation’s departed compatriots as well as to honour our living veterans.