Sylvester Oromoni: Father rejects coroner judgment on son’s death

Mr. Sylvester Oromoni Snr, the father of the late 12-year-old Dowen College Lekki student, Sylvester Junior, who died in controversial circumstances after allegedly being bullied and forced to drink a substance, has rejected the Coroner Inquest’s decision indicting him, his wife, and the family doctor for their son’s death.

Oromoni stated that it was not the end of the case because the medical expert did not provide a conclusive result for the black substance discovered in their son’s stomach.

On Monday, the Coroner Inquest into the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jr. exonerated Dowen College and the five students accused of bullying, beating, and forcing the deceased to drink a substance that allegedly caused his death, while indicting the bereaved parents and family doctor for negligence.

Oromoni died on November 30, 2021.
The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, ruled at the Ogba Magistrate Court that Dowen College, its staff members, and five students—Favour Benjamin, 16; Edward Begue, 16; Ansel Temile, 14; Kenneth Inyang, and Michael Kashamu, 16, son of the late Senator Buruji Kashamu—played no role in Oromoni’s death.

He cleared the school of any carelessness, as well as the five senior students accused of tormenting the dead and administering poison to him.

• Sylvester Oromoni: Coroner blames parents, doctors over student’s death

He said, “The alleged suspects played no part in Sylvester’s death but were victims of their past misdeeds. They were falsely accused, and no staff of Dowen College played any role in the death. The school has improved its facilities since the incident.

“The claims of chemical intoxication were never proven, and the faces of those allegedly bullying the deceased weren’t seen. The alleged confession by Sylvester was denied by several witnesses. Even if he was beaten, it didn’t lead to his death.”

He stated that on November 20, 2021, the defendant played football and had his leg massaged by his housemates and the school nurse.

Magistrate Kadiri, who conducted the inquest and revealed his findings, stated that the death was avoidable.

Kadiri, who wept at intervals about Oromoni’s death, said the teenager’s death was avoidable and was caused by the neglect of his parents and family doctor, Aghogho Owhojede, who did not take him to the hospital until the day he died on November 30, 2021.

The coroner fell in tears multiple times when reading his findings and even stood up to maintain his composure, stating that the case was emotional but required objectivity.

“The deceased went through avoidable and excruciating pain and was made to suffer needlessly,” Kadiri said.

The magistrate, who delivered his findings across six hours, stated that 32 individuals testified in the coroner’s inquest, which began in January 2022.

The coroner relied on the findings of two autopsies performed on the deceased at the Central Hospital in Warri, Delta State, with only the family present, and at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where approximately ten pathologists representing various parties, including the family, Lagos State Government, and Dowen College, participated.

“He said that the autopsy conducted on December 14, 2021, in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital by Dr. Sunday Soyemi and the toxicology report of post-mortem samples of the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State, conducted by Pathologist Consultant Dr. Clement Vhriterhire were in agreement as to the cause of death, namely, septicemia, lobar pneumonia with acute pyelonephritis, pyomyositis of the right ankle, and acute bacterial pneumonia due to severe sepsis.

“Death was caused by septicemia (a life-threatening health condition caused by a patient’s body’s response to an infection), following infections of the lungs and kidneys arising from the ankle wound,” he said.

According to him, “there is no evidence of blunt force trauma in this body. The findings in the esophagus and stomach are not compatible with chemical intoxication. Death, in this case, is natural.”

In an interview with journalists shortly after the judgment, Oromoni’s father stated that the medical expert had not provided them with a conclusive finding.

“They said they saw a substance inside the body of the deceased. Was it tested? It wasn’t tested. This is not the end of the case. As far as I am concerned, it does not represent a true proceeding with the evidence taken,” he said.

When questioned about his next steps and if he would appeal the judgment, he answered, “Don’t worry, I will consult my lawyer.

“If you send a child to a distant school, who is to take care of the child in the school? Is it not the principal and the doctor of the school?

“If you say that it is the doctor after five days that is supposed to take care of the child and that the doctor here and the school principal are exempted, who is the immediate parent of the boy?” he queried.