UPDATE: SYLVESTER OROMONI’S FATHER CHALLENGES CORONER’S FINDINGS, ALLEGES COVER-UP
Sylvester Oromoni Jr.’s father, a former student at Dowen College in Lagos, has once again accused the coroner of concealing the reason behind his son’s death.
Sylvester Oromoni Sr. said in a five-page statement he personally signed and provided to newsmen that the coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, purposefully withheld his conclusions in order to conceal the reason behind his son’s untimely death.
He said, āThe coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri commenced hearing on 21st day of January 2022 and concluded on the 9th day of October, 2023 after calling 32 witnesses. The coroner delivered his verdict on the 15th day of April, 2024, after two years.
āDuring the reading of the verdict of 325 pages, the Coroner shed crocodile tears not less than seven times in open court. In fact, he had to rise twice and retired into his chambers to cry more than the bereaved. The coroner claimed that my son died of natural cause. The Coroner deliberately delayed the case in order to cover up the cause of the tragic death of my son as I will explain belowā.
According to Mr. Oromoni, this “dubious verdict” won’t stop him from seeking justice, particularly to make sure that no other Dowen College student or student at any other school experiences the same fate as his late son.
While recounting the events of the inquest, Mr. Oromoni revealed that it took the coroner approximately 17 months to visit Dowen College, supposedly to give the management enough time to address the physical shortcomings in the institution, despite the request of his legal team, headed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, for a visit to determine the state of the school prior to the death of his son.
āIn his desperate bid to exonerate Dowen College of any liability, the Coroner turned round in his verdict to applaud the authorities of the school for upgrading the facilities during the proceedings,ā Oromoni Senior stated.
Additionally, he charged that the coroner had concealed important details about his son’s bullying by a group of pupils in order to further absolve Dowen College’s administration of any responsibility.
Mr. Oromoni pointed out that even though the coroner went on to attribute the death to “parental negligence,” it is documented that no witness brought charges against him because he followed all of the family doctor’s recommendations to preserve his son’s life.
Mr. Oromoni outlined specific instances in the Coroner’s conclusions when he claimed crucial evidence was concealed as well as the supposed carelessness of Dowen College that contributed to his son’s murder, disputing what he called āthe wicked and heartless conclusion of the Coroner.”
He also described the alleged murder of his son and the role played by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution, which issued two legal opinions that were in direct opposition to one another and recommended that Dowen College be prosecuted while the other cleared the institution and its administration despite the lack of new evidence to support its claims.
In the spirit of justice, Mr. Oromoni Sr. concluded by recommending more research be done on the subject.
Oromoni Senior, in addition to expressing gratitude to the wonderful people of Nigeria for supporting the family, asked the Lagos State Government to look into multiple bullying incidents that occurred at Dowen College.
He said, āSince the coroner decided to cover up the killers of my son, we shall take appropriate actions to unravel the mystery surrounding his death. Finally, I am compelled to call on the Lagos State Government to take urgent steps to investigate the several cases of bullying of students in Dowen College. The students and management staff involved in inflicting torture on helpless students in the school should be brought to book without any delayā.