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Sylvester Oromoni Death – Dowen College Student’s Alleged Murder Story So Far

Sylvester Oromoni

A 12-year old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Sylvester Oromoni has joined the growing list of victims who have lost their lives tragically due to alleged bullying at school. The sad event has left Nigerians recalling similar occurrences that have happened in recent times many of which have been discovered to still be without a justifiable conclusion. The hashtag #JusticeFor Sylvester has trended on social media since the tragic news of his passing broke as Nigerians passionately lend their voices to the cause to ensure that justice is served and the alleged perpetrators are brought to the book.

Perrison Oromoni Broke The News

The sad news of Oromoni’s passing first broke on Wednesday, the 1st of December 2021, when a Twitter user with the handle, @perrisonoronomi who claimed to be a cousin of the deceased took to his Twitter account to post that Sylvester Oromini had died as a result of injuries sustained from beatings he had received from a group of boys in his school Dowen College.

Alongside a photo of Oromoni, the handler wrote that his cousin had been beaten to death in a school that cost over a million naira per year. He revealed further details including a video showing Sylvester Oromini in excruciating pain, unable to walk with a bloodied mouth. He explained that Oromoni had been severely beaten because of his refusal to join a cult group. Perrison added that the results of an X-ray carried out on Sylvester Oromoni showed that he had internal injuries.

The post immediately went viral and prompted a response from the management of Dowen College who put out an official statement the following day, the 2nd of December 2021, refuting Perrison Oromoni’s claims as “social media tales” and claiming that the deceased Sylvester Oromoni’s passing was due to complications from injuries he sustained while playing football. A conclusion they claimed to have come to after speaking to the boy in the presence of his guardian. The school authorities added that the school had “effective anti-bullying policies and consequences are well spelled out to all the students” while concluding that the claims made by the social media user came as a shock to them.

The Management of Dowen College Refute The Claims

The statement released from the school management reads thus;

“He was in class on Monday 22nd day of November 2021, 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 the 23rd of November 2021, 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 an 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. The resident doctor also called the mother later in the week to check up on his progress but she informed the doctor that he was sleeping at the time.”

The school management in their statement also added that the school Principal made time to call Sylvester Oromoni’s mother to check on him and that “she reported that he was having a massage and gave the phone to him to speak with the Principal.”

In conclusion, the management said that;

“As a result, it came as no small shock to us to read wild social media tales 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.

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. The preliminary investigation showed that there was no fighting, bullying, or any form of attack on the boy.”

The Deceased’s Father, Slyvester Oromoni Snr Speaks Up!

With the public seeking more answers, the deceased’s father, Sylvester Oromoni who shares the same name as his late son spoke up with more details of what had led to his son’s death in an exclusive interview with TheCable.

He revealed that his son had been bullied constantly at school and on one occasion, one of the boys whom his son mentioned on his death bed as one of those who beat him up, forcefully took his food items from him. Oromoni Snr said that the previous incident had been reported to school authorities at the time. The school did temporarily suspend the boy after Oromoni’s elder brother took the matter up, his hostel was changed, however, the bullying never ceased.

Oromoni Snr revealed that because of past occurrences, his son lived in fear and when he was asked to explain further what he was going through he would simply dismiss the question by saying “they will kill me.”

His dad added; “this way, we didn’t know what to do. I considered removing him; reconsidered since his sisters were still in the school.”

“I have two daughters; one of whom earlier graduated.” Oromoni’s father narrated. “I had to remove the second after this incident. They asked this boy to describe the sister’s privates and this got to us.”

Giving more details on what led to his son’s death, Oromoni Snr said that his son was fed with a poisonous chemical and intimidated to keep mute lest he’d be killed.

The deceased father also refuted some of the claims made by the school authority in their initial statement, pointing out that what occurred when his guardian came to pick him up was completely different from what the school recounted in their official statement.

Sylvester Oromoni’s Father’s Account

“The new incident came to my knowledge on November 21 after the school called my wife to notify us that our son was in the school clinic, injured.

My senior son, who was to make a London trip, came to see us in Warri. “The next day, we sent a family friend to help pick up our son since he was the only person in Lagos and take him to the hospital.

When he got there, he panicked, pointing out that he doubts it’s a football injury as the school claimed. He said the boy couldn’t stand because his waist was bent and swollen along with one side of his belly.

His mouth was black. I asked, ‘is this really a football injury?’ He was taken to my house in Lagos but couldn’t sleep at night.

I asked my eldest to fly to Lagos on November 24, while I took a trip to Asaba, from where I’d also make for Lagos. On getting there, he screamed. ‘This is beyond football injury. Come to Lagos now,’ he told me over the phone.”

Sylvester Oromoni passed away a few days to what would have been his 12th year birthday. In his interview, his father promised that he was going to celebrate his son’s birthday even in his absence and he did.

Celebrities also took to social media, celebrating the late boy’s posthumous birthday.

Sylvester Oromoni

Sylvester Oromoni’s family celebrating their son’s posthumous birthday

Reactions From Social Media

Social media was taken to a whole new level of rage following new details from Sylvester Oromoni’s family. One user, a popular YouTuber by the name SisiYemmie said that parents who had their wards in the school should immediately withdraw their wards as a form of protest.

 

Comedian, Mr. Macaroni (@mrmacaronii:) wrote;

“I deeply sympathise with the family of Sylvester Oromoni. I Just saw the video that was recorded before he died. He couldn’t move, mouth swollen, teeth bleeding. Football injuries don’t cause that much pain!!! Dowen college, there are a lot of questions begging to be answered.”

Police Promises To Deliver Justice

On the 4th of December 2021, the police released a statement via their spokesperson Adekunle Ajisebutu, saying that investigations had begun on the case, though they had not formally received a report of the incident.

“The Command wishes to inform the public that, although no formal report of the incident was made to the police, the Commissioner of Police, upon hearing about it instantly directed the Divisional Police Officer, Maroko Division under whose jurisdiction the place of incident is to immediately visit the school to carry out an initial investigation into the incident,” the statement read.

The statement also added that the case, due to its severity had been taken over by the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti.

While on his death bed, Sylvester Oromoni mustered the courage to mumble the names of those who beat him up. They are;

  1. Michael Kashamu
  2. Angel Temile
  3. Favour Benjamin
  4. Edward Brown
  5. Agboro Emmanuel

The public was able to identify one of the suspects, Michael Kashamu as the son of late Senator Buruju Kahamu who for years was wanted in the US for drug-related crimes. The notorious drug runner passed away in 2020. It has been established by the public that upon Michael’s naming by the deceased, his family flew him abroad to ensure his safety.

Read Also: #EndSARS: Lagos Judicial Panel Finally Submits Report One Year After

Late Sylvester Oromoni with parents

Lagos State Government Shuts Down Dowen College

The Lagos State Government has ordered that Dowen College be shut down indefinitely. The announcement came following a meeting between the school’s management and the Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo.

“The Lagos State Government has ordered the indefinite closure of Dowen College, Lekki, pending the outcome of an investigation into the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a student of the school,” a statement from the ministry said.

The statement added that the “Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo announced the closure after a meeting with the School Management and Staff. The Commissioner called for calm, saying no effort will be spared in getting to the root of the incident.”

The announcement from the ministry comes after Dowen College had announced a two-day break on Friday the 3rd and Monday the 6th of December.

Past Similar Occurrences

The news of Sylvester Oromoni’s bullying and death was not a strange incident to the Nigerian airwaves as similar occurrences seemed to have been on the rise. Some of which still sadly remain without justice being served. In mid-2021, news emerged of the death of a 14-year old boy in a school in Abuja with hazy details of the cause of death.

Around that same period, a 14-year-old student of Premiere Academy Lugbe, Abuja, named Ms Keren Akpagher died due to sepsis after a used condom was found inside her. She was molested by her teacher. The school pushed back allegations of sexual harassment and the perpetrator is yet to be punished. The mother, however, remains relentless and continues to call for help in order to seek justice for her dead daughter.

Investigative journalist David Hundeyin was able to uncover that the reason why the case has been swept under the carpet was that the school is owned by the influential and powerful Akinsola Akinfemiwa, who is the former CEO of Skype Bank and Chairman of Heritage Bank.

Hundeyin was also able to uncover that “Premiere Academy hired the public relations arm of marketing giant, CenterSpreadGrey to distort the public story with sponsored articles.”

A case more similar to Oromoni’s occurred back in 2020 at Deeper Life High School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state where an 11-year-old student was sodomized and starved by senior students as punishment for bedwetting. Thankfully, the young boy made it out alive. The case has since been in court.

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Gov Otti’s govt declares free education in Abia State

In a major policy shift, Abia State led by Governor Alex Otti has announced free and compulsory education for all children from primary to junior secondary levels, effective from January 2025

The Abia State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, unveiled the new initiative following a State Executive Council meeting.

Kanu highlighted the government’s commitment to improving educational access and quality for young Abians.

“Education is free in Abia State up to the end of Junior Secondary School,” Kanu stated. “There is no reason whatsoever why parents will not send their children to school.”

He emphasized that, under the Abia State Child’s Rights Law 2006, parents and guardians who fail to comply with the enrolment mandate will face legal action.

The policy applies to all children residing in Abia, irrespective of their state of origin.

“In line with the Abia State Child’s Rights Law, it will now be an offence for parents not to send their children and wards to school in Abia State,” Kanu added

The state government aims to foster educational inclusivity and strengthen its academic infrastructure, aligning with Gov Otti’s early declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector.

Alongside this education policy, the government has also announced the rehabilitation of nine additional roads across the state.

The details of these road projects will be disclosed later, as part of the administration’s broader agenda for infrastructural development.

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Lakurawa: All You Need To Know About ‘new’ terror group In Northern Nigeria

In 2017, local leaders in Sokoto State’s Gudu and Tangaza LGAs initially invited the Lakurawa group to address the growing threats from bandits from Zamfara State.

Nigerian military called them a relatively new terror group that infiltrated Sokoto and Kebbi states through the Niger Republic following the coup in Nigeria’s neighbor. Still, findings reveal that they had been active even before last year’s coup in Niger.

Last Thursday, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters described Lakurawa as a new terror group exacerbating insecurity in the North-west region.

“Troops are confronted with a new terrorist sect in the North-west,” Edward Buba, a military spokesperson said during a press conference. “This sect is known as Lukawaras, the Lukawaras are affiliated to terrorists in the Sahel, particularly from Mali and Niger Republic.”

Mr Buba, a major general, also claimed that the Lakurawas emerged from Mali and the Republic of Niger after last year’s coup in Niger led to the breakdown of military cooperation between the country and Nigeria.

Lakurawa Is Linked With al-Qaeda Terrorists

Since the military declared Lakurawa as a new terror group, there have been a lot of narratives about the group on social media as seen here and here. One narrative linked them to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahel (ISGS), but research published a few years ago counters that.

As explained in a 2022 study conducted by Murtala Rufa’i, James Barnett, and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Lakurawa militants rejected the Boko Haram label and preferred to be called Mujahideen or Ansaru, the franchise of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Nigeria.

Like Lakurawa, the Ansaru terror group promises to protect locals in its strongholds. The group mainly targets military formations, although it also targets civilians who it considers spies or infidels. Ansaru terrorists, who could have the same ideology as Lakurawa, are believed to be present in parts of Kaduna, especially Birnin Gwari. This shows that jihadis are trying to penetrate the banditry-ravaged North-west

Lakurawa Is Not New, Started As A Group Of Mercenaries

According to a 2021 study by Mr Rufa’i, a historian with expertise in regional terrorism, the Lakurawa group was initially invited by local leaders in Gudu and Tangaza LGAs of Sokoto State in 2017 to address the growing threats by bandits from Zamfara State.

The “Zamfarawa bandits crossed from their strongholds in Zamfara to attack locals in Jina-Jini, Wassaniya, Tabaringa, Mulawa in Tangaza and Gudu LGAs. The bandits also terrorized eastern Sokoto communities in Isa, Sabon Birni, Rabah, Goronyo, and Illela LGAs,” Mr Rufa’i noted, adding: “The Islamic sect [Lakurawa] started with less than 50 indigenous youth in 2017, but this number has since increased to over 200, mainly young boys between the ages of 18–35.”

The Lakurawas, according to a traditional ruler in Balle, a village in Gudu LGA, are Malians who speak Arabic and Fulfulde languages. “They were invited to provide security to our communities,” the traditional ruler told Mr Ruf’ai in an interview in 2021.

“The District Head of Balle in Gudu Local Government together with the District Head of Gongono in Tangaza Local Government met with Alhaji Bello Wamakko, the then Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and discussed how to tackle Zamfarawa (Bandits). They finally decided to hire Lakurawa from Mali to deal with Zamfarawa bandits. This was the first effort,” the traditional ruler had said, adding that he warned the then-Governor Aliyu Wamakko about the invitation of the Lakurawas.

When the media first reported the infiltration of armed Lakurawa in 2018, the police debunked the news, saying they were non-violent herders who “came to the area largely owing to availability of water for their animals.”

Cordelia Nwawe, the then-police spokesperson in Sokoto State, explained that the Malian group was sighted around Marake forest in Gudu LGA and Wassaniya, Tunigara, Mulawa, Jina-Jini villages in Tangaza LGA.

Lakurawa became violent when its members killed the district head of Tangaza, one of the traditional rulers who invited them. According to Mr Rufa’i, the group accused Mr Muktar, the district head’s son, of having N63 million in his custody. The Lakurawas made this claim after Mr Muktar died in a fire accident.

The group later killed the district head in his palace after the traditional ruler disputed their claim.

Before this, the group had been preaching its ideology to locals, collecting “Zakat” of livestock from herders, Bashiru Tagimba, a youth leader in Tagimba village told Mr. Rufa’i.

“They check people’s phones and break the memory cards that contain music,” Mr Tagimba said, adding that the group also flogged people who played or danced to music.

Wanton attacks on military formations in border towns by the Lakurawas propelled the Nigerian and Nigerien militaries to join forces, conducting a joint operation in late 2018, Messrs Rufa’i, Barnett and Abdulaziz stated in their study.

According to them, the joint operation checked the activities of the Lakurawas, but some locals still reported that they saw them in the area. This suggests that the terrorists only stopped attacking military targets.

Traditional and religious leaders who initially supported the Lakurawa terrorists later turned against them when the group’s actions deviated from the original purpose of their invitation

The Nigerian authorities’ failure to address the Lakurawa threat allowed the group to re-emerge in 2021. This time, it aligned with bandits and Fulani communities against the outlawed Yan Sakai vigilante group.

The coup in Niger and the collapsed joint military operations of Nigerian and Nigerien forces appear to have further emboldened the terror group.

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Donald Trump Wins US Presidential Elections, defeats Kamala Harris

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election after securing the over 270 Electoral College (EC) votes required to emerge victorious.

As of this report, Trump has secured 279 EC votes, while his main challenger, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, has secured 223 votes.

Mr Trump is also ahead in the popular vote count, securing over 71 million votes to Mrs Harris’s over 66 million.

This election is the first since 2004 in which a Republican presidential candidate will secure more popular votes than a Democratic Party candidate, indicating Mr Trump’s solid performance and Mrs Harris’s sub-par performance.

“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Mr Trump told a jubilant crowd in Florida Wednesday morning.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mr Trump had already won in four of the seven crucial Swing states – North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and was ahead in the remaining three – Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona – BBC reports.

Apart from winning the presidential election, the Republican Party also took control of the US Senate for the first time in four years and maintained its hold of the House.

Several world leaders, including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, have congratulated Mr Trump on his victory.

According to President Tinubu, Mr Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership, the president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, wrote in a statement.

President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States, he added.

“Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” the Nigerian leader was quoted as saying.

Many other leaders posted their congratulatory messages on X, the social media platform whose owner, Elon Musk, was one of the main campaigners for Mr Trump.

“Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine, with respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X.

“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic,” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on X. “We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens.”

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