Further hearing on the controversy surrounding the death of a 14-year-old student, Keren-Happuch Aondodoo, who contracted sepsis after she was allegedly raped in her boarding school has been adjourned by a High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory
It will be recalled that Keren-Happuch died on June 22, 2021, owing to medical complications that was caused by a condom that was left inside her private part after she was allegedly raped in school.
Nigeriacrime.com gathered that the Mother of the deceased, Mrs Vivien Vihimga Akpagher, in a N10billion suit she brought before the court, accused the school, Premiere Academy, Lugbe, of negligence and failure of a duty of care to her daughter.
She is among other things, seeking a declaration that the negligence of the defendants caused her daughter’s death.
As well as, “a declaration that the acts of the defendants, who owed the duty of care to plaintiff’s daughter, were negligent and this led to her death as a result of rape, sexual abuse and molestation which happened under their care.”
She is praying the court to aside from awarding her the sum of N10bn as damages, equally compel the defendants to pay another N10million for emotional, mental, psychological and physical stress she was subjected to, following the death of her daughter.
The plaintiff, through her team of lawyers led by Uzoma Anaeto and Chioma Onyenucheya -Uko, told the court that despite her demand that the police should retrieve CCTV footages of June 15 and 16, 2021, from the school, which she said would disclose how her daughter was sexually abused as well as the identity of her abuser, the defendants declined to accede to the request.
The court had earlier dismissed a preliminary objection the school filed for the matter to be struck out.
Justice Chinyere Elewe Nwecheonwu declined to terminate the legal action on a technical grounds that the name of the school was not properly spelt.
Rather, she gave counsel to the plaintiff permission to correct the error, even as she okayed a full-blown hearing of the case.
Meanwhile, though the matter was billed for hearing on Thursday, however, a clerk of the court informed the parties that the judge was unavoidably absent as she was attending a conference for judicial officers.
The court official told the parties that a new date for the hearing would be communicated to them.
Speaking with newsmen after the case was adjourned, the plaintiff said she decided to approach the court owing to the failure of the school to show any remorse for her daughter’s death.
“With the way they are going, if they are not ready to take responsibility, we shall see this case to the end so that it does not happen to another child,” the plaintiff told journalists as she struggled to suppress her tears.
Her lawyer further disclosed that they have filed an application, praying the court for an order, “restraining the defendants, by themselves, their agents and privies from threatening the plaintiff and her allies in respect of this suit, during and after the trial.”