Miguel Ovoke: Autopsy report reveals cause of Abuja pupil’s death

An autopsy report has confirmed that 4-year-old Miguel Ovoke, a student at Brickhall School, Abuja, died after choking on a piece of meat in his homemade lunch.

The unfortunate incident occurred on April 24, 2024, during the school’s lunch break.

According to a statement by the school on Friday, Miguel choked on the meat in his lunch, which consisted of rice, stew, plantain and assorted meat.

“When the emergency maneuvers to free his throat proved futile, he was rushed to the sick bay where our certified nurse also carried out the appropriate emergency medical responses to dislodge the piece of meat, but to no avail.

“Miguel was then taken to the nearby Excel Specialist Hospital, where he was unfortunately pronounced dead. The hospital issued a medical report stating that the cause of death was asphyxiation,” it said.

The school said it immediately notified Miguel’s parents of the incident. It also conducted an autopsy at the National Hospital, with representatives from all interested parties present. The autopsy confirmed that Miguel had indeed choked on a piece of Offal/meat.

“The autopsy result showed that Miguel choked on a piece of meat in his home-made lunch,” the school said in its statement.

Following the release of the autopsy report, Miguel’s parents have “accepted the incident as ‘an act of God’,” the school added.

The school also noted that the statement had become necessary, as they had insisted earlier that they would not make any official statement or comment on the cause of death without a valid autopsy report from a reputable hospital.

To honour Miguel’s memory, the school was shut down for eight days to mourn him and has named an Early Years Resource Room after him. The school also said it will support a Foundation that Miguel’s parents plan to establish in his name.

“Once again, our hearts go out to late Miguel’s parents, family, classmates, and friends over the sad incident. May God continue to comfort them,” the school’s statement concluded.