- A coroner has cleared Dowen College and the five senior students accused of bullying 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni and administering poisonous substance on him.
- He blamed parental and medical negligence for the late student’s death.
- The judgement, which came after a two-year inquiry, held that Oromoni died of sepsis emanating from infection of the lungs and kidney caused by an ankle injury.
The Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, inquiring into the cause of death of the late student of Dowen College, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni, today April 15 ruled that the 12-year-old died a natural death.
In a judgment that lasted over six hours, the coroner attributed the death of the deceased to an avoidable case of parental and medical negligence. The Coroner held that Oromoni died of sepsis emanating from infection of the lungs and kidney caused by an ankle injury.
The coroner said:
“The deceased’s death was an avoidable one but for the negligence of the parents and PW 3, they didn’t take him to the hospital until the day he died on November 30, 2021.
The deceased went through an avoidable and excruciating pain and made to suffer needlessly.”
Magistrate Kadiri absolved some students of Dowen college named in the incident as he concluded that they played no part in the death of Sylvester, and should not have been involved in the matter.
He further recommended that the management of Dowen College should ensure proper documentation of entry and exit of students out of the hostel, as well as proper psychological evaluation for the 5 students suspected to have bullied the deceased.
He however commiserated with the family by extending his condolences to them and their friends. He added:
“I pray that God comfort you for this great loss and make things easy for your family.”
Late Sylvester Jr died on Nov. 30, 2021, at a private hospital in Warri, Delta, after alleged health complications at Dowen College, Lagos.
After his death, the Lagos State Government shut down the school and set up a coroner’s inquest to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death after his parents alleged that their deceased son while on his dying bed, mentioned the names of some of his schoolmates whom he accused of bullying him.
Sylvester was said to have mentioned that he was beaten up by five senior students of Dowen College whose names are Favour Benjamin, 16, Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14) Kenneth Inyang and Micheal Kashamu, 16, son of late Senator, Buruji Kashamu.