The Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, inquiring into the cause of death of the late student of Dowen College, Lagos, Sylvester Oromoni, today April 15 ruled that the 12-year-old died a natural death.
In a judgment that lasted over six hours, the coroner attributed the death of the deceased to an avoidable case of parental and medical negligence. The Coroner held that Oromoni died of sepsis emanating from infection of the lungs and kidney caused by an ankle injury.
‘’The deceased’s death was an avoidable one but for the negligence of the parents and PW 3, they didn’t take him to the hospital until the day he died on November 30, 2021. The deceased went through an avoidable and excruciating pain and made to suffer needlessly,” the Coroner said
Magistrate Kadiri absolved some students of Dowen college named in the incident as he concluded that they played no part in the death of Sylvester, and should not have been involved in the matter.
He further recommended that the management of Dowen College should ensure proper documentation of entry and exit of students out of the hostel, as well as proper psychological evaluation for the 5 students suspected to have bullied the deceased.
He however commiserated with the family by extending his condolences to them and their friends.
‘’I pray that God comfort you for this great loss and make things easy for your family.”
Late Sylvester Jnr died on Nov. 30, 2021, at a private hospital in Warri, Delta, after alleged health complications at Dowen College, Lagos. After his death, the Lagos State Government shut down the school and set up a coroner’s inquest to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death after his parents alleged that their deceased son while on his dying bed, mentioned the names of some of his schoolmates whom he accused of bullying him. The family also insisted that their son died from injuries he suffered as a result of bullying by five senior students of the college, and claimed that he was not treated by the school after the incident.