Oromoni’s death: Family demands prosecution of Dowen College like Chrisland

The family of the late Sylvester Oromoni has called for the prosecution of Dowen College over the student’s death.

Oromoni, a student at the Lagos school, died in November 2021 after he was allegedly beaten by five colleagues.

His parents claimed that the deceased boy confessed before his death that he was attacked and fed a chemical.

Dowen College dismissed the allegation and claimed the boy sustained injuries playing football with his friends.

An autopsy initially declared that Oromoni died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication” but the result was later discredited in favour of the claim that only the bereaved family witnessed the post-mortem procedure.

The department of public prosecution (DPP) in Lagos released a second result ruling that Oromoni died naturally.

The case has been under inquiry since 2022, while the bereaved family said they would pursue it up to the apex court.

In yet another case, Whitney Adeniran of Chrisland High School died on February 9, 2023, during a sports event.

Blessing Adeniran, Whitney’s mother, accused Chrisland of holding back information on the cause of her death.

An autopsy thereafter revealed that Whitney died from asphyxia and electrocution, not a heart attack as suggested.

The justice ministry later arraigned Chrisland’s principal and three other staff for manslaughter and negligence.

While the school has tendered a public apology on the matter, an inquest into the case is to begin on April 4.

In a letter addressed to the Lagos commissioner for justice, Sylvester Oromoni’s family is demanding that Dowen College and its staffers be prosecuted, as initially recommended, like their Chrisland High School counterparts.

The letter dated April 4 and signed by the solicitors of the bereaved family draws a parallel between the two cases.

“We must commend your office for the arraignment of Chrisland School Limited, and four of its staff before the High Court of Lagos State sitting in Ikeja over the untimely but avoidable death of Adeniran Whitney,” it reads.

“[You] would recall that the [Sylvester Oroomoni case at Dowen College] dominated the news in December 2021.

“The police swung into action to investigate and unravel the circumstances leading to the death of this student.

“While [they] were still following a lead on a fresh intelligence, a magistrates’ court sitting in Ebutte-Metta, Lagos granted bail to the prime suspects who were kept at the juvenile home without putting the police on notice.

“The above was followed by advice signed by Adetutu Oshinusi, a director in the directorate of public prosecution of the state ministry of justice dated the 30th day of December 2021 indicting the school and some staff.

“[It] recommended them for prosecution under Section 252 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol.3 Laws of Lagos 2015.

“It is, however, disheartening that the suspects are yet to be arraigned as recommended in the DPP advice referenced above as played out in the case of Chrisland School Limited since December 2021.

“In line with the foregoing, we urge you make to direct the prosecution of Dowen College and its staff in consonance with the DPP advice dated the 30th day of December 2021 indicting the school and some of its staff.”

In its last session, the coroner’s inquest visited Dowen College to re-examine what is alleged to be the crime scene.

A lawyer in the case told TheCable that final written addresses by all the counsels are expected before the verdict.

In 2022, TheCable did a two-part series about unsolved student death cases and the frustrations of the bereaved.