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Prudentj2 gathered that, A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has ordered Louisville Girls Secondary School in Gwagwalada to pay N100 million as damages for the d£ath of a 9-year-old student, Kamzie Ikpeatusim.
The court found the school guilty of negligence and failure to provide proper care for the young girl while she was under their care as a boarding student.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji gave the judgement on Tuesday, April 8, in a case brought before the court by Kamzie’s father, Mr Ifeanyi Ikpeatusim.
According to the case file marked CV/1738/18, Mr Ikpeatusim told the court that his daughter was admitted into the school in September 2017. Barely one month later, by October 2, she became very ill. Unfortunately, she did not receive proper medical treatment on time and sadly lost her life a few days later.
The father blamed the school for ignoring their duty to take care of his child, especially when she was sick. He said their carelessness caused his daughter’s d£ath.
After carefully listening to all sides and looking at the evidence, Justice Oriji agreed that the school did not do enough to help Kamzie when she fell sick.
In his words, “The claimant established his allegations of negligence against the school. There is no amount of money that can bring back the child to life.”
The court then ordered the school to pay N100 million as general damages. An additional 10 per cent interest will be added to the judgement amount starting from April 8 until the full money is paid.
Also, the school was asked to pay another N300,000 to cover the cost of the legal case.
During the judgement, Justice Oriji also noted that the school had already made some changes after the sad incident. He mentioned that the school’s sickbay had been improved, and doctors now attend to students twice daily. He described this as a good step and a way of making up for what happened.
Kamzie’s father had asked the court to make the school name a building after his late daughter. But Justice Oriji said that even though a building was not named after her, the improvements in the school’s medical care system could be seen as an honour to her memory.
He said, “The court thinks that the improvement in the sickbay, ensuring doctors are available twice daily, is in honour of Kamzie, as part of reforms recommended by her family.”
He encouraged the father to take comfort in knowing that Kamzie’s short life has led to positive changes in the school, which may help save other children in the future.
The judgement has drawn attention to the importance of proper medical care in schools, especially for boarding students who are far from their parents.
