The National Association of Nigerian Students has said that there were frantic efforts by powerful individuals to ensure the reopening of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, without regard to the weight of the allegation against students and teachers of the school over the death of a 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni.
Amid the controversies trailing the death of the pupil, Sunday Asefon, NANS National Chairman, set up an investigative committee to look into the issue.
Speaking on Thursday, Chairman of the committee, Oladimeji Uthman, at a press conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the NANS investigative committee had obtained the autopsy results of Oromoni, saying the results contradicted allegations that he took a harmful substance and was assaulted before his death.
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Oromoni’s family had attributed the cause of his death to physical assault by bullies, who also made him drink an unknown substance.
Uthman said, “The autopsy and toxicology report conducted by the Nigeria Police Force disclosed the cause of his death to be Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacterial Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.
“We have contacted a medical expert to make clarifications on how possible knee injury (as claimed by the Dowen College management initially) could develop to those infections mentioned in the autopsy.”
The NANS committee said it was perplexing that the Nigeria Police did not make mention of bullying in its report, stressing that, “We know that Sylvester was bullied but why are state actors trying not to comment on it? We are dumbfounded hearing that Sylvester Oromoni Jnr died of infections.”
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The students union urged Dowen College and the victim’s family to make public his medical records/history so as to know if there were any ailments he was battling with before his death.
However, NANS warned the Lagos State Government to ensure the college remained closed, threatening to not only tag the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as an enemy of humanity but to also “mobilise all our armless battalion to the streets of Lagos and march in our thousands to seek for adequate justice for slain Sylvester if the school is re-opened anytime soon”.
He said NANS Investigative Committee was paying attention to developments, reiterating that it would not condone any form of injustice promoted by any institution or personality.
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He added, “Nigerian students are seeking answers and we will not allow injustice to thrive.”
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