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Wednesday, December 8, 2021

#JusticeForSylvester: Protesters storm Dowen College

Dozens of protesters have stormed Dowen College on Wednesday morning, demanding justice for 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni.

• December 8, 2021
Dowen and #JusticeforSylvester protesters
Dowen and #JusticeforSylvester protesters used to illustrate the story [Photo credit: NPO Reports]

Dozens of protesters have stormed Dowen College on Wednesday morning, demanding justice for 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni, who died after being allegedly assaulted for refusing to join a secret cult.

The protesters stood in front of the school, displaying placards of the deceased’s obituary, chanting, “Justice for Sylvester.”

In a video posted online by BBC Pidgin, human rights activist Adetoun Onajobi said the school should be held accountable for failing to protect master Oromoni.

She demanded the Lagos government should visit the Oromoni family at their home in Warri.

The protesters urged security agencies to wade into the case and bring the perpetrators to book.

Meanwhile, the police command in Lagos said it had interrogated three Dowen students over the torture and eventual death of the 12-year-old student of the school.

Police commissioner Hakeem Odumosu disclosed this to Channels TV on Tuesday but did not reveal the identities of the three students.

Mr Odumosu stated that the suspects were cooperating with the police in their investigations, adding that efforts are in place for a post-mortem examination of the remains.

Before his death, master Oromoni had disclosed to his family that five students of the college tortured and forced him to drink a chemical substance for refusing to join a secret cult. 

Last week, the father of the deceased, Sylvester Oromoni, in an interview with TheCable, alleged that the parents of students responsible for torturing his son were on the move to fly them out of the country. 

“The parents of the boys are wealthy. They withdrew them. The school called the parents to pick their wards; interviewed them. Some of the parents are planning to fly the children out of the country,” Mr Oromoni had disclosed.

In contrast, the school management claimed that the deceased pupil died due to injuries sustained while playing football.

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