Mum of boy who died while eating at Abuja school protests outside the school to demand justice

The mother of the late four-year-old Miguel Ovoke, who died at the BrickHall School in Abuja during feeding hours a few days ago, stormed the school on Monday, May 6, to seek justice for the late son.

She arrived at the school with some loved ones to protest against the manner in which the school authorities handled her son’s death.

A cardboard displayed by the bereaved mother reads, “We Need Justice For Miguel, BrickHall School Kill Miguel.”

A video from the scene shows police officers preventing the protesting group from entering the school.

Miguel’s bereaved mother cried and screamed outside the school gate as she asked for answers regarding her son’s last moments.

“18 students for one class where I dey pay N350,000,” the mother said in one of the videos.

In another video showing some staff members of the school, she went from one staff member to another, identifying them as the people responsible for covering up her son’s death.

“See the head teacher,” she said.

Moving to another staff, she added, “See who lie for doctor say my pikin dey for hospital, na this man lie for doctor ooo. Doctor say my pikin no die for hospital. Na who carry my pikin dead body go hospital.”

A police officer is seen in one of the videos asking her, “If your matter is in CID, why are you here?”

The situation later became tense as a police officer allegedly threatened to beat the protesters.

“Where the policeman wey say he go beat us; come outside? See the policeman wey say e go beat us,” one of them said.

Miguel died on Wednesday, April 24, after choking on his meal at school.

On April 26, the family of the deceased demanded the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of the accident.

According to the death certificate of the pupil dated April 24, 2024, issued by Excel Specialist Hospital, Abuja, Ovoke was taken to the hospital by his teachers around 11am in an unconscious state.

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.”

Posting on Instagram after the protest at her late son’s school, the bereaved mother wrote: “BRICK HALL SCHOOL ABUJA KILLED MY SON (Miguel 4years old) on the 24th of April, 2024.

“I personally took him to school, an healthy child just for the school to call us to come to the hospital ,reaching they ,the school stated my son shocked on his food (beef meat ) ,the school (BRICKHALL ABUJA )told the doctor to say the child died in the hospital and the child died inside the school properties which the doctor told us himself.

“Now the school is oppressing us the family of the child , and the school is still open.

“NIGERIA PLEASE COME N HELP’”