By Oluwatosin Maliki
In a tragic accident, a 10-year-old school pupil who was identified as Rofiat was knocked down in the premises of her school, Isiu Grammar School, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, which eventually led to her death.
It was gathered that on Wednesday, the horrific incident occurred on Friday, September 29.
According to sources, Rofiat was in the company of her friends on the school playground while preparing for the school’s closing period. Shortly after, a vehicle parked by a teacher identified as Dele a few meters away reportedly started to roll backward heading towards her direction.
Rofiat who was unaware of what was going on, didn’t notice the incoming Nissan car and got knocked down in the process.
A resident of the area said, “We were told that the incident happened around 1 pm. 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”.
Residents in the area said Rofiat was quickly rushed to Isiotu General Hospital for emergency treatment but was later transferred to Agbowa General Hospital due to her critical condition.
An eyewitness reported, “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”.
Consequently, police officers arrived at the school, “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.
Also, a police source explained that the owner of the car has been taken into custody after he went to the police station to report the incident.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident.
“Yes, it happened. The owner of the car was taken into custody. An investigation is ongoing,” Hundeyin said.