Lagos clears Dowen students, staff of complicity in Oromoni’s death

The Lagos state government has cleared the five accused Dowen College students of complicity in the death of Sylvester Oromoni (Jnr), a deceased pupil of the school.

The state government also cleared five employees of the Lekki school of any blame in the case.

The decision was conveyed in legal advice signed by Adetutu Osinusi, the director of public prosecution (DPP), on Wednesday.

Oromoni died last November after efforts to save his life failed. The 12-year-old boy was alleged to have been attacked by five of his senior colleagues for refusing to join a cult.

Oromoni’s father had claimed that his child was beaten and fed a liquid chemical that eventually claimed his life.

But Dowen College had dismissed the claim, saying the boy sustained injuries while playing football with his colleagues.

Hakeem Odumosu, Lagos police commissioner, had thereafter ordered a probe into the case while the school was sealed off.

Two autopsies were done on the deceased, one by the Delta police and the second by the force’s Lagos command.

The first autopsy earlier released to the public had revealed that the deceased died of “chemical intoxication”.

Following a police probe, Odumosu said findings had been forwarded to the DPP and a response had been received.

In the DPP’s advice released on Wednesday, it was stated that the police probe and the two autopsies conducted on the body of the deceased student failed to establish a prima facie case against the suspects.

It added the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and toxicology report of post-mortem samples revealed the cause of death as “Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle, and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis”.

According to the DPP report, there was no prima facie case of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm [the deceased] against the five accused Dowen College students.

The state cleared the minors of belonging to unlawful society (cultism) due to insufficient facts to establish the claim.

Lagos also cleared the school and five of its employees (Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun, and one Adeyemi) of the alleged offense of “negligent act causing harm”.

The state government, therefore, directed that all the suspects should be released if they are still in custody.

Oromoni’s father had earlier kicked against a statement attributed to Odumosu, implying that the first autopsy on their deceased son was not witnessed by the police.