Kayode Oyero
The National Association of Nigerian Students, on Sunday, alerted foreign missions to deny entry to the five students of Dowen College alleged to have bullied and beaten 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni to a point of coma which led to his eventual death on November 30, 2021.
The students’ body also called for the swift arrest of key officials of the Lekki-based school.
NANS President stated this in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Sylvester Oromoni’s Death: NANS calls for immediate arrest of school principal, house master…urges foreign missions in Nigeria to ensure suspects do not sneak foreign into their countries’.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the father of the deceased student alleged that the Junior Secondary School 2 pupil died from the injuries he sustained during an assault by colleagues who wanted to initiate him into cultism but the school claimed he died after sustaining an injury during a football match.
The father of the deceased student, Sylvester Oromoni Snr, also fingered five boys whom he said were allegedly involved in the bullying of his son.
The father also said the teachers, security men, and other officials of the school must explain the death of his son, whose 12th birthday was December 4 (Saturday).
The Lagos State Government on Friday ordered the indefinite closure of the school, pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of Sylvester.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, on Saturday, ordered the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, to take over the investigation of the case immediately.
Reacting through a statement, NANS said, “We equally call for the immediate arrest and interrogations of names of students mentioned in the attack that led to the eventual death of Sylvester irrespective of how highly placed their parents are. There must not be any sacred cow as all of them must be arrested, adequately interrogated, and charged if found culpable.
“By this press statement, we put on red alert foreign missions in Nigeria to deny entry to the following students who had been fingered in the attack leading to the death of Sylvester Oromoni until the investigation is concluded.”
“NANS will follow this case religiously in our attempt to be the voice of the voiceless and ensure a level playing ground at the cause of the investigation irrespective of how influential and wealthy the families of the purported culprits are,” the statement concluded.
Sylvester’s is one of the disheartening deaths resulting from bullying and molestations in boarding secondary schools of late.
Karen-Happuch Akpagher of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, had died of sexual molestation in June 2021 while Don Davies of Deeper Life High School, Uyo, had also narrowly escaped death in December 2020, when his mother raised the alarm of alleged sodomy of her emaciated son.
