The family of 11-year-old David Oluwanifemi Elijah has leveled grave accusations against the Lagos State Government, alleging that official negligence and a slow response to financial appeals led to the untimely death of their son.
David, a JSS 2 student at Millennium Community Junior Grammar School in Egbeda, passed away on January 19, 2026, weeks after sustaining catastrophic injuries on school premises.
A Fatal Plunge
The tragedy began during a school break on December 5, 2025. Reports indicate that David fell from a second-floor classroom window. According to his father, Mr. Elijah, the fall allegedly occurred during a scuffle with a classmate. It remains a point of investigation whether the push was accidental or a deliberate act of bullying.
The Race Against Time
David was initially rushed to Crystal Hospital before being transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) due to the severity of his condition. At LASUTH, the family was met with a double blow: the urgent need for two surgeries costing ₦5 million, and a healthcare system crippled by an ongoing doctors’ strike.
”They told me that because of the strike, only a standard private hospital could carry out the procedures,” Mr. Elijah recounted.
Bureaucracy vs. A Human Life
Despite the school principal providing ₦220,000 toward initial costs, the mounting bills quickly exhausted the family’s savings. Seeking a lifeline, the family and their church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), launched a formal appeal for intervention.
Letters were dispatched on December 17, 2025, to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Deputy Governor, and the Commissioner for Education. Although the government acknowledged receipt of these documents by December 19, the family claims that not a single kobo of the requested ₦5 million was released during the critical window for surgery.
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A Tragic Conclusion
Broken by the lack of government support and unable to sustain the costs at LASUTH, Mr. Elijah eventually moved his son to an orthopedic facility in a desperate bid for alternative care. Sadly, the young boy succumbed to his injuries a month later.
The incident has ignited a firestorm of criticism regarding safety standards in Lagos public schools and the perceived lack of a rapid-response fund for student emergencies. As of press time, the Ministry of Education has yet to issue a formal statement regarding why the financial appeal was not expedited.
