HATFIELD, United Kingdom (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The coroner inquiring into the circumstances surrounding the cause of death of Sylvester Oromoni, a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, on Monday, listened to the testimony of the deceased’s mom, Mrs Rosemary Oromoni.
Recall that sometime in December 2021, a disturbing video of a pre-teen boy writhing in pain was posted online.
In the footage, the boy, a pupil of Dowen College, a boarding secondary school in the highbrow Lekki Phase 1 estate in Lagos, seemed to be fighting for his life.
A few days later, the boy, named Sylvester Oromoni, same as his father, died a few days before his 12th birthday.
Mr. Oromoni, Sylvester’s father, accused five pupils of the school of killing his son. He claimed that the pupils bullied his son to death after he refused to join a secret cult. He claimed his son named these pupils moments before he passed.
Earlier, Sylvester’s cousin, Perry Oromoni, in a series of tweets, suggested Dowen College was a haven for teenage cult members recruiting other pupils into their gang.
Subsequently, the school came under a barrage of criticism from many Nigerians who felt it was not being upfront with details of the tragic event.
Some people who sympathized with Sylvester’s parents felt the school management did not do enough to curb bullying among its pupils.
For instance, more than 200,000 people signed a petition seeking justice in the case.
READ ALSO: What Happened To Desola Whitney Adeniran? – Parents Ask Chrisland International School Management
The outrage generated by the death of Sylvester, who was fondly called “Junior” (because he was named after his father), forced the state government to temporarily shut down the school while it investigated the incident.
However, the management of Dowen College, in a statement, claimed an employee of the school informed it on 21 November that Sylvester was injured during a football match with fellow pupils and was not a victim of bullying.
The school added that he was immediately treated by its in-house nurse and seemed to be fine initially. But the next day, he complained of pain. It also dismissed the claim that Sylvester was killed after he refused to join a cult.
The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Adetutu Oshinusi, also said the allegations against the accused students and their schools could not be sustained in a court of law.
In the latest development, Mrs Oromoni, who appeared in court visibly shaken, rained curses on her son’s killers and broke down at intervals while giving her evidence.
In her testimony, she started by saying that she received a message from the school that her son was injured while playing football with some of his colleagues.
After the family picked up the boy from the school in Lagos, she said he was subsequently taken to their home in Warri, Delta State, when his health did not improve.
READ ALSO: Son Chops Off Mother’s Hands With Machete Over Argument In Ogun
She said that when he was brought back home from school, she noticed that his lips were scaly and he had a swollen hip.
He was subsequently treated for malaria for three days at home, but the boy was still in pain, according to her.
She also testified that her son eventually confessed to her that he was beaten up by five other students but gave her the names of three of them. The lady said her son told her that the students gave him a substance to drink.
Following his persistent poor health, the family doctor had asked the family to take him to the laboratory for a scan and X-ray but she said she could not recall the result because at that moment she was heartbroken.
She said that on 30 November 2021, when her son died, his condition had worsened, and he was rushed to the family’s hospital, but she was not allowed to accompany him.
The late Oromoni Jnr reportedly died on 30 November 2021 at a private hospital in Warri, Delta State, following health complications that allegedly occurred at his school, Dowen College, Lagos.
Following his death, the Lagos State Government shut the school, and a coroner’s inquest to investigate the circumstances of his death began in January 2022.
The Coroner, Magistrate Mikail Kadiri, has asked parties in the inquest to file their final written addresses, which will be adopted on 20 November 2023.