My son was tortured to death – Bereaved father
Lagos CP directs investigation
The Lagos State Government on Friday ordered the indefinite closure of Dowen College, Lekki, pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of a 12-year-old boarding student of the college, Master Sylvester Oromoni Jnr.
The late Sylvester Jnr. was said to have been bullied and tortured to death by five seniors students, following his alleged refusal to join a cult group in the college.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ganiu Lawal.
The statement reads in part, “The Lagos State Government has ordered the indefinite closure of Dowen College, Lekki, pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a student of the school.
“The State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, announced the closure after a meeting with the School Management and Staff.
“The Commissioner called for calm, saying no effort will be spared in getting to the root of the incident.”
Incidentally, the death of Oromoni Jnr., had sparked various reactions from stakeholders.
The late Oromoni was said to have been bullied and beaten by fellow students while the supposed injuries from the beating led to his death, according to a Twitter user with the handle @perrisonoromoni, who claimed to be the boy’s cousin.
But the Dowen College management has denied the allegations in a statement made available on Wednesday, claiming that Oromoni was neither bullied nor beaten but only complained of hip pain after playing football.
The school also in an email sent to parents on early Friday morning, stated that students should not come to school on Friday, 3rd December 3 and Monday, December 6 because of the incident.
We’ll celebrate Sylvester’s 12th birthday despite our grief – Bereaved Father
The father of the late Sylvester, Mr Oromoni Snr. has disclosed that the family will celebrate his son’s 12th posthumous birthday on Saturday (today) despite their grief.
In his emotion-laden voice on Thursday, Mr Sylvester Oromoni Snr. said, “We will celebrate his (Sylvester Jnr’s) birthday on the 4th December (today). Please tell Nigerians to join us”.
The news of the death of 12-year-old student went viral on Wednesday.
The development was sequel to a social media post by his cousin, Perry Oromoni, who alleged that some senior pupils of the college beat him up for refusing to join a cult.
The bereaved father also faulted the claim of Dowen College, saying that the family friend who they sent to pick up Oromoni Jnr. from the school described a totally different situation.
Speaking on his traumatic experience on Friday, Mr Sylvester Oromoni Snr. stated that his son was bullied, beaten and tortured to death.
He said, “The next day, we sent a family friend to help pick up our son since he was the only person in Lagos and take him to the hospital. When he got there, he panicked, pointing out that he doubts it’s a football injury as the school claimed.”
How 5 seniors bullied and tortured my son to death – Sylvester Oromoni Snr
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Sylvester Snr. said his late son had complained of being bullied by one of the senior pupils about three months earlier.
The bereaved father also stated that he had sent his eldest son to notify the school authorities of the issue and was given the assurance that it would be resolved.
He said, “Two Sundays ago, we got a call that the boy was hospitalised and had injuries in the legs while playing football with his mates. I sent his guardian to go and pick him up but when he got there he said my son complained of pains all over his body, including his stomach.
“He kept on complaining but didn’t talk when asked what happened. We saw the fear in him but he refused to talk.”
The bereaved father also said that the guardian – his eldest son – who picked up Sylvester Jnr called to inform him that his condition was critical.
He said, “Last week, I went to Lagos to bring him to Warri (Delta State). I flew from Asaba to Lagos. Since this thing happened till he died on Tuesday, he could not sleep throughout the night. He would be complaining of pains in his chest and legs. We did a test and tried to massage his legs.
“There was no dislocation or fracture; it was his ankle, waist, stomach and thighs that were swollen and his mouth was peeling.
“On Monday, he told us that some senior pupils entered the hostel; five of them – four in SS2 and one in SS1. He said he was on his bed and they entered the hostel and flogged him with a belt. He said he fell from the bed and they kicked him and trampled on his body.
“I asked why he didn’t tell us all this while but he said he was scared because the seniors had threatened to kill his roommates if any of them revealed what happened. He said the boys told him to lie that he fell while playing with other pupils.”
Mr Sylvester also stated that following a scan run on the boy, a doctor said he suffered “liver enlargement and that congealed blood had gathered by the side of the liver.”
The father of the deceased student alleged that the Junior Secondary School 2 pupil died from the injuries he sustained during an assault by colleagues who wanted to initiate him into cultism but the school claimed he died after sustaining an injury during a football match.
Mr Sylvester Oromoni Snr. also disagreed with the narrative of playing football by the school authorities and fingered five boys whom he said were allegedly involved in the bullying of his son.
The father also said the teachers, security men, and other officials of the school must explain the death of his son.
Lagos CP orders probe
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered immediate investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Sylvester Jnr.
Speaking on whether any suspect has been arrested, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said that he was not aware of any arrest.
He said, “I am not aware but I am aware that the CP (Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu) has ordered immediate investigation into the incident even though it was not reported to the police.”
