By Olamide FAKEYE
Nigeria – The Management of Smiley Kids Montessori School has officially announced the tragic loss of one of their preschool pupils, two-year-old Raphaella Ogbodo, who passed away following an incident at the school swimming pool on January 15, 2025, in Sangotedo, Lagos and condoled the family.
The school Management in a statement signed by O. Olufade said, “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies and government authorities to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into it.
“In addition, we have launched a comprehensive internal review to identify areas for improvement in our safety procedures and strengthen our safeguards to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, thereby upholding our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our pupils”.
Below is the full statement:
It is with profound sadness that Smiley Kids Montessori School announces the tragic loss of one of our preschool pupils, two-year-old Raphaella Ogbodo, who passed away following an incident at our
swimming pool on January 15, 2025, in Sangotedo, Lagos.
As an educational institution, we take the safety and wellbeing of every child entrusted to us as a top priority and have done so in the past 17 years of our existence.
This heartbreaking incident is unprecedented in our history and we are devastated by this loss and extend our deepest condolences to the Ogbodo’s family, whose pain and grief we cannot begin to imagine.
We are cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies and government authorities to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation into it.
In addition, we have launched a comprehensive internal review to identify areas for improvement in our safety procedures and strengthen our safeguards to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, thereby upholding our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our pupils.
Following this tragic incident, our school is under closure while investigations are ongoing. We sincerely apologize for the disruption this may cause to our pupils’ learning and their families’ routines, and we
appreciate your understanding, and cooperation during this difficult time.
We understand that this tragedy has raised questions and concerns among parents and the public and we remain committed to sharing updates as new information becomes available.
In the meantime, we ask for patience, understanding, and privacy for the grieving family.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ogbodo’s family during this time of unimaginable loss.
Sincerely,
O. Olufade
The Management
