Darasimi Ogunwunmi, a 3-year-old boy has died. Ogunwunmi, a
Kindergarten One pupil, nine months ago in November 2015, drank caustic soda
left carelessly around his classroom by teachers of his private school, Fahsal
Children’s School, Ilupeju Estate, Idiroko, Ogun State.
He had been in pains ever since. According to Punch Metro,
after nine months of agony, being unable to swallow either liquid or solid food
and six different surgeries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Darasimi
succumbed to his injuries few days after his last surgical operation on Monday,
September 12.
 |
| Darasimi: After and before the incident |
The last surgery was another attempt to open up the boy’s
stomach and throat which had become
damaged by the chemical, which he drank when he was thirsty
in school. For Darasimi, the last days of his short life were spent in a
condition his mother, Toyin, described as a living hell.
Speaking with Punch Metro, Toyin said:, “My son would have
died long ago if not because of the money that kind Nigerians raised for his treatment.
The money financed his surgeries and rehabilitation since
that time. “If I knew he had no chance of survival, I would have prayed that
God should give him rest long ago because my son suffered for every day he
lived after that incident.
Every day, I saw him lying in the hospital bed or sitting at
home ruggling to drink ordinary water with pain, I cried bitterly.” Saturday Punch had exclusively reported in anuary
and February how the proprietor of
Fahsal, Mrs. Fausat Abubakar, allegedly introduced soap
making business on the school premises.
But rather than remove the production far from the reach of
her pupils, the boy’s parents alleged
that the soap was being produced right beside the
classrooms.
On November 19, 2015, the worse happened when Darasimi
became thirsty and his teachers turned a
deaf ear to his incessant cry for water. Part of the caustic soda already mixed
and allegedly left around was what Darasimi drank from.
His teachers only realised what had happened when the boy
was found outside his classroom crying and bleeding from the mouth, it was
learnt. The teachers applied palm oil to the boy’s mouth but rushed him to the
hospital when they realised his case was critical.
