Lagos Govt Shuts Down Dowen College Indefinitely Over Death Of Sylvester Oromoni

Lagos State Government has indefinitely shutdown Dowen College in Lekki over the tragic death of a 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni Junior, who was allegedly killed by his colleagues for refusing to join a cult group.

KanyiDaily recalls that a cousin of the deceased, Perrison Onomoni, who broke the news on his Twitter handle, had alleged that Sylvester was beaten to death by five students over his refusal to join their cult group.

Perrison explained that the boy was battered on Friday but later died on Tuesday after a series of tests and X-rays indicated that he sustained internal injuries.

He said that after Sylvester’s death, the school management had reached out to the deceased’s father and told him that his boy sustained injuries while playing football at the school.

Reacting to the allegation, Dowen College debunked claims that Sylvester was beaten to death by suspected cultists in the school, claiming that the deceased sustained injuries while playing football.

The Management of Dowen College insisted that preliminary investigation conducted by the school authorities revealed that there was no fighting, bullying or any form of attack on Sylvester.

The school claimed that one of the hostel parents reported that the boy was injured while playing football, and a resident registered nurse immediately administered first aid on him and later called the student’s mother to inform her of the situation.

Subsequently, the student complained of having pains in his hip and was attended to again, this time by a doctor and a nurse, and thereafter the resident doctor called his mother requesting that she come for him so that he could get further medical attention.

The school further said it had carried out a preliminary investigation before the boy’s death and confirmed that there was no case of bullying as no part of his body was broken or injured, adding that it has policies that are strongly anti-cultism.

Lagos Shuts Down Dowen College Indefinitely

The management of Dowen College had announced that the school will shut down its academic operations for two days due to the continued outrage tailing the death of the student.

But in a statement on Friday, Lagos State Ministry of Education said the school has been shutdown ‘indefinitely’ to allow for investigations into how Sylvester Oromoni died under allegedly controversial circumstances on Tuesday.

The statement issued by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Ganiu Lawal, reads:

“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.

“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.

“The Commissioner, in an earlier statement, commiserated with Sylvester’s family.

“Lagos State Government sends its condolences to the Parents of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni Jnr.,a student of Dowen College, Lekki.

“The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, notes that this incident is shocking and the State is indeed sad about this great loss.

“The State Government is in touch with the parents in this difficult time.

“We reassure the family of the late Sylvester Oromoni Junior and Lagosians at large that efforts are being made to unravel the circumstances leading to his demise, even as we reiterate the Government’s commitment to Child Protection.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Sylvester Oromoni’s Father has narrated how his 12-year-old son was tortured and fed a chemical substance for refusing to join the cult group, adding that the boy suffered liver enlargement due to congealed blood before his death.