Coroner holds inquest into death of late Dowen College student, Sylvester Oromoni, mother rains curses on son’s killers

The coroner inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cause of death of a 12-year-old student of prestigious Dowen College, on Monday, listened to the testimony of the deceased’s mom, Rosemary Oromoni.

Giving her testimony before the Coroner, Magistrate Mikail Kadiri, the bereaved mother who reportedly rained curses on killers of her son, told the sitting that she received a message from the school that her son was injured while playing football with some of his colleagues.

Mrs Oromoni narrated that after the family picked up Sylvester from the school in Lagos, he was subsequently taken to their hometown in Warri, Delta State, when his health did not improve.

She noted that when her son was brought back home from school, she noticed that his lips were scaly and he had a swollen hip.

“He was subsequently treated for malaria for three days at home but he was still in pain,” she said.

The woman added that the deceased eventually confessed to her that he was beaten up by five other students who also gave him a strange substance to drink.

She said before giving up the ghost, Sylvester could only give her the names of three of the students who brutalized him.

According to her, following his persistent poor health, the family doctor asked them to take him to the laboratory for a scan and X-ray but she said she could not recall the result because at that moment, she was heartbroken.

Sylvester eventually died on November 30, 2021, at a private hospital in Delta State, following what was said to be complications from the substance he was given to drink.

His death caused a lot of outrage which forced the Lagos State Government to shut down the school and a constitute a coroner’s inquest to investigate the circumstances of his death in January 2022.

At the end of the inquest, Kadiri, asked parties to file their final written addresses which will be adopted on November 20, 2023.

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