Dowen College: Sylvester was beaten by bullies, sister tells court

Sylvester Oromoni was beaten by bullies at Dowen College, the immediate elder sister of the late student, Amanda, has told the Coroner’s Inquest Court of Lagos State.

Amanda, who was a student of Dowen College in the Lekki area of the state, in her witness statement before the court, said in October 2021, a student of the college, one Favour Benjamin, approached her and informed her that Sylvester told him and others in their room that he had seen her nakedness.

“As a result of this statement, I became angry and started yelling at my late brother and I broke down and started crying. My brother said he had to say so, so that they could stop beating, bullying and flogging him,” she said.

Amanda said she and her sister Anita subsequently requested a change of room for Sylvester.

Amanda said she told her elder brother, Keyness, and he was “very upset and made plans to visit the school because of this issue but I told him that the school had already suspended the boys.

“I actually thought the boys were suspended because when Joseph Aisagbonhi came to apologize, he was flaunting a paper in his hand which I felt was a suspension letter but I later discovered it was not.

“Even when I later discovered that they were not suspended and I eventually wanted to call my parents, Mrs Celine (a school official) did not allow me to call them,” she added.

It was earlier reported that the Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, ordered journalists and other members of the public out of the court on Monday before Amanda’s testimony.

Sylvester died under controversial circumstances in November 2021 and his death went viral following a social media post by his cousin, Perry Oromoni, who alleged that some senior pupils of the school beat him up in his hostel because he refused to join a cult.

But the school denied the claim, stating that the boy complained of leg pains following an injury he sustained while playing football.

The state government ordered the indefinite closure of the school pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter.

However, legal advice by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Adetutu Oshinusi, cleared the suspects.

(The PUNCH)