Former Model College Badore student Qudus Akinsemoyin’s family has asked the Lagos State Attorney-General to pay up the N20 million in damages that a court awarded him after a senior student brutally punished him, leaving him blind in his left eye.
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On July 3, 2010, a cane was used by Olashile Balogun, a senior at the school in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, to strike Qudus, a junior, in the eye. Because of the attack, he will never see again with his left eye.
The guardian of Qudus, Alhaja Kuburat Ajoke Azeez-Akinsemoyin, was the one who took legal action on his behalf. The victim finally got her day in court after years of legal battles.
The Akinsemoyin family’s lawyer, Barrister Bode Olaosebikan, wrote a formal letter to the Attorney-General pleading with the Lagos State Government to carry out the judgment’s execution, saying that the ruling has not been disputed.
The judge, Justice O.F. Aigbokhaevbo, said that the school administration should have done a better job of keeping students safe and that the senior student should have been punished for his behaviour.
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“The school authority, not a fellow student, should carry out discipline of students,” the court remarked.
“Excessive and negligent disciplinary measures, especially those that cause severe harm to an individual’s eyes, are unacceptable.”
Jointly culpable for negligence were Model College Badore, the Attorney-General, and the Lagos State Ministry of Education, according to the court. The court found that they were negligent in their treatment of the student.
The sums granted were N20,000,000 in general compensation, N27,150 in medical expense special damages, and N200,000 to cover litigation expenses. Medical evidence from LASUTH, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, confirmed the damaged eye’s irreversible blindness, lending credence to the judgement.
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The defendants failed to follow through on the original medical recommendations, which the court expressed worry about, even though they had asked for additional medical evaluations during the trial. At this point, the family is pursuing governmental accountability and full judgement enforcement.
“Compensation is just one aspect of this,” stated Barrister Olaosebikan.
“It’s about recognising the devastating impact on a child’s life when they are in the care of a publicly funded school and maintaining legal standards.”