A slightly modified version of this letter (to protect my personal information) has been sent by email to relevant persons.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rachel Haastrup <OMITTED>
Date: Sat, Dec 4, 2021 at 8:52 AM
Subject: PETITION: #FreeLegalAdviceNigeria Gov-Funded Independent Organisation providing free legal advice to all Nigerian Citizens

 

For the kind attention of;

INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE USMAN ALKALI BABA , FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION AND HONORABLE MINISTER OF JUSTICE ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN, 

GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE - HIS EXCELLENCY BABJIDE SANWO-OLU, HONORABLE AYENI BABATUNDE - ATAKUNMOSA EAST/ATAKUNMOSA WEST/ILESHA WEST

ALL LEGISLATORS OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA , CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA IBRAHIM TANKO MUHAMMAD CFR, ALL LAGOS STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS.

 

I am writing to you today, as a very concerned citizen of Nigeria, to address the extremely sad incident involving the now deceased Mr. Sylvester Oronomi Jnr, which took place on the school premises at Bowen College, 18 Adebayo Doherty Rd, Lekki Phase I 106104, Lagos.

Many people have become aware of this awful tragedy through various news reports, and on reading these it appears as though there are a number of unanswered questions that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Whilst I am not aware of the details of the incident that led to this child’s death, I have seen that there are two very different versions being put forward. The school are putting his death down to injuries that were sustained during a game of football, whilst his family are claiming that Sylvester died due to injuries that were deliberately inflicted by five pupils at the school.

Naturally, the suggestion that a boy may have been killed following a period of torture by other pupils is incredibly concerning, to say the least, and the fact that they are said to have been trying to force him to join a cult makes it even more sinister, if true. However, if the school’s version of events is true, it still raises questions as to how a 12-year-old boy could sustain mortal injuries whilst playing football. This is highly unusual and very worrying. Either way, the matter surely has to be thoroughly investigated.

It is very important that the boy’s family, and the community, see that justice is served and that this matter is investigated. Someone is responsible, and that person (or persons) needs to be held accountable for their actions. Of course, we mustn’t forget the children who witnessed the incident either. They will undoubtedly need to receive counselling, and their parents will have to be fully informed as to what they saw and how they will be helped.

As part of the investigation, it will be important to ascertain if the school was fully compliant with the Care and Supervision Guidelines, along with Part VI of the Child's Rights Act of 2003. This is important because we all need to have reassurance that our children are being properly protected and looked after when they are attending school.

This is such an awful tragedy, and we have to ensure that it cannot happen again. Therefore, we pray that the relevant health and safety organisations will work with the school, and will counsel them wisely so that we can have confidence that such an incident will not re-occur. Furthermore, it is absolutely vital that the school cooperates fully with the police during the investigation, and we will pray that this will be the case.

As adults, we all have a duty to protect the children in our society, and the safety of each child in Nigeria must be given the utmost importance by every Nigerian citizen. I sincerely hope that this tragic incident will result in urgent action, to ensure the safety of each Nigerian child. Their lives are incredibly valuable, and we must all stand up for them in this very dark hour.

In further meditation on this matter, I would like to suggest that the Legislators of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, take this opportunity to work on providing all citizens with free legal advice. This would provide the much-needed information at times like this and would improve the moral accountability to law amongst citizens. I also believe that it would reduce the amount of misinformation that is circulated online about criminal cases. This has often led to increased incidents of anti-social behaviour and crime in the country that is already struggling with insecurity. I would like to also suggest that our decision makers in this request, use Citizens Advice Bureau as a working case study. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

I have copied into this email the CEO of Citizens Advice Bureau - Clare Moriarty, who I hope would be happy to provide any further information on how the organisation works. I personally have found Citizens Advice to be an invaluable resource in making sure that I abide by the law in times where emotions may overwhelm me, and safeguard me from offenders of crimes committed against me.

At the time of writing this letter, I have respectfully started a petition on this matter to help start a conversation that will hopefully lead to productive changes that will safeguard all Nigerians. This can be followed via www.change.org/freelegaladvicenigeria 

Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns and exhortations. I look forward to your reply.

(Due to limitations of how many persons can be included in one email, please feel free to forward this email to relevant colleagues that can assist)

Kind regards,

Rachel Haastrup