…School Management Claims He Died From Football Injuries

…Family releases final hour video of 12-year-old boy

A 12-year-old boy, Sylvester Oromoni Junior, was allegedly beaten to death for refusing to join a cult group in Dowen College, Lekki Phase One, Lagos, GbaramatuVoice has learnt.

A relative of the deceased, identified as @Perrisonoromoni on Twitter, posted that the 12-year-old was battered on Friday but died on Tuesday after a series of tests and X-rays indicated that he sustained internal injuries.

According to @Perrisonoromoni, the school management had reached out to Sylvester Oromoni, the deceased’s father, a Delta state politician, claiming the boy sustained injuries while playing football at the school.

“We’re from Delta State, but he goes to a boarding school in Lekki. They called my uncle that his son was injured when he was playing football. Reaching the hospital, it was confirmed that he was being bullied and beaten up, causing internal damages,” the relative disclosed.

“After tests and X-rays, it was confirmed he was beaten up badly. He died yesterday (Tuesday, November 30, 2021) morning, and his entire body was swollen,” he told The Gazette.

Asked if the deceased had previously complained about pressures to join a cult group, @Perrisonoromoni stated that the young Oromoni only informed his parents while in the hospital. Before his death, he reportedly said the school’s cult members threatened to kill him if he reported them.

“Before passing, he said they’d been pressuring him to join a cult. He was admitted on Friday. He said they were going to kill him if he talked.”

The deceased was also said to have mentioned a few names of the students who pressured him to join their cult group before he died.

School Management Denies claims

In a swift reaction to the tweet, The management of Dowen College, Lekki in Lagos, has debunked the insinuations making rounds online that 12-year-old, Sylvester Oromoni Junior, a student of the school,  was beaten to death by suspected cultists in the school for refusing to join a cult group.

The principal of the college, Mrs. Adebisi Layiwola, said preliminary investigations conducted by the school authorities revealed that there was no fighting, bullying or any form of attack on Sylvester.
Layiwola said in a statement that on November 21, 2021,  one of the hostel parents reported that the boy was injured while playing football, adding the resident registered nurse immediately administered first aid on him and after he expressed relief, was released to return to his hostel room.

She said: “It came as no small shock to us to read on the social media that he was beaten by some students and that he specifically mentioned some names. We immediately commenced investigations and invited the students allegedly mentioned for interview.

“His guardian was also present during the interviews, which revealed that nothing of such happened.”

Layiwola in statement made available to Daily Sun said Sylvester was in class on Monday, November 23 but during school hours one of his friends accompanied him to the Sick Bay where he complained of some pain in his hip.

“The doctor examined him and prescribed Ibuprofen for the pain, while the nurse massaged his leg, after which he felt a bit better.

“In accordance with school policy, the resident doctor called his mother reporting the incident and requesting that she come for him so that he could get further medical attention. The mother, however, said she was not in Lagos, spoke and prayed with him on the phone and promised to send the guardian to pick him up immediately for further medical attention.

“When the guardian failed to show up, the next day on November 23, the doctor called the mother again and this time, she assured that his guardian would pick him from school. His guardian showed up and took him for X-ray after which the guardian informed the school management that the results of the investigation revealed that no part of his body was broken or injured.”

Layiwola said she also spoke with the mother on the phone to enquire about his progress and she reported that he was having a massage and gave the phone to him to speak with the her.

The principal explained that the whole incident was strange and unbelievable because the school has effective anti-bullying policies and consequences are well spelt out to all the students.

She said Sylvester made no such reports, neither his sister who is also a student or any other students, prefects, house parents, medical staff or any of the management staff.

Layiwola revealed that the resident doctor followed the laid down procedure by inviting his mother to take him home for further treatment after initial treatment by the school’s medical staff.

“The school has a very cordial relationship with the family as he is the fifth child of the family Dowen College has the privilege to train, including his elder sister who is currently a student at the school.

“Furthermore, we state categorically, Dowen College is built on core values of godliness and excellence and will not tolerate any acts of cultism, which is why there is nothing like that and there has never been such deviant activities going on, as this is a faith-based school and effective policies are in place to prevent such occurrence,” she stressed.

The principal expressed sadness by the death of Sylvester who had such a bright future ahead of him, stating “we extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives, friends, classmates, and the alumni family at this very difficult time.”

Family releases video

A video, which had now gone viral on social media, captures the last moments of Sylvester Junior, a 12-year-old pupil of Dowen College, Lagos State, who was beaten to death by his colleagues for refusing to join a cult.

The video was shared by one Perrie, a relation to the deceased via his Twitter handle on Thursday.

The 12-year-old boy, from the video, was seen writhing in pain while bleeding from his mouth, his teeth seems broken with some sort of candida Albicans appearing on the tip of his lips.

The parents of the deceased who were massaging him were heard raining curses on all those who had caused their little boy so much pain.

@perrisonoromoni tweeted, “This was the state of Sylvester junior before he died. He couldn’t raise a leg or an arm. Will a boy in this state lie about what happened to him???? Dowen College should tell us what happened to my cousin.

”He kept complaining about his throat and stomach. Said he was given something to drink. God help us.”

Will a boy in this state lie about what happened to him???? Dowen collage should tell us what happened to my cousin. pic.twitter.com/GUqd8D5EAF
— Perrie (@perrisonoromoni) December 2, 2021

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