Two years after the commencement of a coroner inquest into the death of a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, Sylvester Junior Oromoni, the magistrate has attributed his death to natural occurrence.
He also blamed the death on the parents’ and doctor’s negligence. Mikhail Kadri, a magistrate, sitting in Ogba, while reading his report, which lasted for several hours on Monday, said that Mr Oromoni died as a result of failed treatment for his enlarged liver.
The inquest magistrate noted that Mr Oromoni’s death was caused by Septicaemia, 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.
Recall that the 12-year-old student of Dowen College reportedly died on 30 November 2021.
Initially, his death was attributed to bullying and an alleged substance he was forced to drink in the school. He reportedly said he was beaten up by five senior students of the College whose names were Favour Benjamin (16), Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14), Kenneth Inyang and Micheal Kashamu (16), son of late Senator Buruji Kashamu.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government had on 5 January 2022, exonerated five students and five employees of Dowen College, who were accused of contributing to Sylvester’s death.
The coroner also said that the boy’s death was an avoidable one but for the negligence of the parents and PW 3 (their family doctor, Henry Aghogho) -saying that they did not take him to the hospital until the day he died on 30 November 2021. “The deceased went through an avoidable and excruciating pain and was made to suffer needlessly,” he noted.
During the coroner inquest, 32 witnesses testified. Among the evidence the coroner relied on included the findings of two autopsies conducted on the deceased at the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State, with only the family present, and at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where about 10 pathologists representing various parties including the family, Lagos State Government and Dowen College, took part.
The coroner, who broke down in tears several times while reading his findings and even rose at a point to comport himself, said the case was touching but needed objectivity.
He exonerated the school of negligence and the five senior students who were accused of bullying the deceased and administering a poisonous substance on him.
The coroner recommended that parents should not take their children’s health with levity, as well as better synergy between police and the medical team in such matters.
He also called for proper psychological evaluation of the five students suspected to have bullied the deceased.
“The alleged suspects played no part in Sylvester’s death, but were victims of their past misdeeds. They were falsely accused; no staff of Dowen College played any role in the death. The school has improved on their 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 of Sylvester was denied by several witnesses. Even if he was beaten, it didn’t lead to his death,” the coroner said.