Sylvester Oromoni Snr has vowed not to bury his son until he gets justice for his late 12-year-old son, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a student of Dowen College in Lagos
He also slammed the autopsy report from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, alleging that there was foul play.
Sylvester’s death went viral following a social media post by his cousin, Perry Oromoni, who claimed some senior pupils of the school beat him up in his hostel because he refused to join a cult.
The school denied the claim, stating that the boy complained of leg pains following an injury he sustained while playing football.
The state government ordered the indefinite closure of the school pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter.
Five students and five employees of the school were arrested by the police but legal advice by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Adetutu Oshinusi, cleared the suspects.
The autopsy carried out by a consultant pathologist at the Central Hospital Warri, Clement Vhriterhire, revealed that Sylvester died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication in a background of blunt force trauma.”
But the interim and final autopsy report by LASUTH attributed the cause of death to “Septicaemia, lobar pneumonia with acute pyelonephritis and pyomyositis of the right ankle.”
However, the outgoing Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, on Friday said the toxicology report of the first autopsy carried out in Warri was released on December 30, 2021, signed by Vhriterhire, attributing cause of death to “acute bacteria pneumonia due to severe sepsis.”
Sylvester Snr and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had kicked against the DPP’s advice with the latter describing the report as “escapist and hasty.”
Falana had said, “The report has not laid to rest the allegations surrounding the gruesome murder of Sylvester Oromoni. The report is escapist and hasty as the authorities are aware of the fact that the Chief Coroner of Lagos State has ordered that an inquest be conducted into the circumstances surrounding the unnatural death of Sylvester Oromoni. The inquest, which commenced before the coroner on December 16, 2021, has been adjourned till January 15, 2022 for further hearing.”
Speaking to PUNCH on Friday the father said the case had yet to have a closure, insisting that his son would not be buried until “justice is served” even if it took as long as 30 years.
He said, “The family does not have power. We only rely on God. If they insist that the school will reopen, there is no problem. If God keeps me for 20 or 30 years, I will follow up this case. Government will come, the government will go. I am not bothered. The soul of that boy is crying round. God is alive; He cannot be bribed.
“My son will never be buried. If it takes me 30 years to get justice, he would remain there (in the mortuary). He is my son; I won’t bury him. Nigerians should look beyond what they are saying.”
