Why we released Dowen College housemaster, others — Police

The police in Lagos State have explained the reason for the release of a housemaster of Dowen College and other members of staff of the school who were held in connection with the death of Sylvester Oromoni.

The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, also said the police were already awaiting the result of a toxicology test to determine the next line of action in the case.

Odumosu said the police had to release the housemaster and others when the autopsy test conducted on the body of the deceased did not indict them of murder.

He added that the police released them when the court order, which gave the police the legal right to detain them, elapsed.

Odumosu, who was recently promoted to the rank of AIG, said: “Based on the result of the autopsy, the court order that we got elapsed and we released the housemaster and the others on bail.”

The police boss said: “There was nothing that indicted them of murder. It is a murder case that is not bailable. Every other offence is bailable and they had been in custody for more than 20 days and that is infringing on their fundamental human rights.

“Since medical and legal reports have not indicted them so far, I think there is need to allow them have their freedom because bail is not the end of the case.”

Odumosu added that: “We are not yet at the peak, but we have concluded our investigation and we have sent the report to the DPP [Directorate of Public Prosecution] for legal advice.

“We have gone through the medical one, which is the post-mortem. The post-mortem we carried out in Delta State, was also carried out in Lagos. The one done in Delta State was only witnessed by the parents of the deceased.”

He also stressed that, “After I held a meeting with the parties concerned, a post-mortem was carried out in Lagos. The corpse was brought from Delta to Lagos.

“The post-mortem was carried out in Lagos with all the parties involved, that is, parents of the deceased, parents of the students accused, the school authority and government. These were the four parties that witnessed the post-mortem.”