OROMONI'S DEATH: DOWEN STAFF INSISTS THAT SYLVESTER NEVER DRANK ENGINE OIL FROM HIS VEHICLE

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Igboekweze Valentine, a staff at Dowen College Lekki on Monday, before a coroner inquest stated that Sylvester Oromoni, the 12-year-old student of the school who was allegedly beaten up by seniors never drank engine oil from his vehicle.

The witness mentioned this while explaining to the court sitting before Coroner Mikhail Kadiri at a magistrate court in Ogba, he said that, the circumstances that surrounded the death of the student had nothing to do with his vehicle which was parked within the school compound.

He added that the late student was never beaten neither was he bleeding while he was with the school.

When the witness was cross-examined by the State Legal Counsel, Seun Akinde, he was asked if he thinks the school would have done something to prevent the unfortunate incident.

“Do you think there was something the school could have done to prevent the incident?” The counsel asked.

The witness responded that he is convinced that Sylvester was not beaten and he was not bleeding.

“I’m convinced that Sylvester was not beaten and he was not bleeding,”

Mr Akinde asked “There is a report that after the light was switched off, he was given a substance, could this possibly have happened?”

“It never happened, Sylvester was never given any substance to take,” the witness said.

“This assertion of yours is based on what?” the lawyer asked.

“It is based on the fact that what I was told at the police station was that the substance that was given to him was the engine oil from my vehicle.”

However, the coroner asked the witness the time that he was interrogated about the substance from his vehicle and also if he could identify the officer who asked him the question.

The witness responded that he is familiar with the officer’s face but he had a medical issue during the interrogation.

“That happened at the police station, I told them that the vehicle was always parked at the compound. I was asked if they could remove my engine oil, but I told the police that nobody removed my engine oil,” Mr Valentine answered.

Mr Akinde further asked if “the case of him taking a substance was it just an imagination or it occurred?”

Mr Valentine said he believes it was just an “imagination” of the general public that it never occurred.

Also, the legal representative of the Oromoni’s family, Femi Falana asked wheter senior students in Dowen College punish and bully the junior students in their hostels

“The junior students were they called upstairs by senior students for punishment?” Mr Falana asked the witness.

“In some situations they were being called upstairs,” he responded.

“How many students have been called for punishment for bullying students by the school?,” Oromoni’s lawyer asked.

“About five, some were suspended while some were expelled. Micheal Kasamu was suspended for bullying students,” the witness said.

“After this incident how many students were punished?” Mr Falana asked

“They were expelled after the incident,” he responded.

Mr Falana asked the witness to confirm wheter the students were expelled due the circumstances of Sylvester Oromoni’s death or on the grounds of misconducts that happened before his death.

“They were expelled for misconduct that occurred before November 21, 2021?”

“Yes,” the witness responded.

The lawyer asked the witness whether he recalled that a student reported to him that a senior named David hitted his head against the sink.

“Yes,”

What happened to David?

“David’s father was called and the sanction was applied to David. He swept and mobthe school for a week.”

After the cross examination, a minor, a student of Dowen College testified before the coroner but journalists were barred from covering the inquest.

The coroner further adjourned the case until December 19 for more hearing.