Nigerians have been visiting the locked gate of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, where a secondary school student, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, was tortured to death by five of his seniors.
Microsecondnews gathered that many of the people who have visited the school dropped wreaths in memory of the murdered student, while others observed minutes of silence at the front of the gate.
Sylvester Oromoni would have been 12 on Saturday, but met his death in the hands of senior students who allegedly beat him mercilessly and warned him never to disclose what happened to him.
He kept away from divulging the secret until it was apparent to him he was going to die. That was when he reportedly named the five boys who stormed his room to gang-beat him.
He named three of the boys, while two other names were supplied by some other students.
One of the accused students has been identified as a son of a deceased popular politician who was involved in a drug-related case in the United States of America.
A fellow student of the deceased has reportedly confirmed that Sylvester was actually beaten by his seniors.
One of the mates who claimed to be in the room when the assault took place, said that six senior boys came into the room at the time and put off the light before descending on him for ‘snitching’.
The senior boys reportedly later warned the remaining boys that worse fate would befall anyone of them who snitched to the school management as Sylvester did.
The Oromoni family marked the deceased’s 12th birthday posthumously on Saturday during which a cake designed as aeroplane and pilot uniform was cut in memory of his ambition.
The story of the boy has gripped the imagination of the country since it was broken on social media by his cousin, Perry Oromoni. He had alleged in the post that some senior pupils of the college beat Sylvester up in his hostel room for refusing to join a cult.
Dowen in a statement denied the claims, stating that the boy complained of pain in his legs and hip following an injury he sustained while playing football.
The Lagos State Government had shut down the school indefinitely to ensure a thorough investigation.
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased has vowed not to bury him till justice is done, no matter how long it takes.
He told The Punch, “How can he be buried? I cannot bury him until I get justice, until I get to the end of the matter. Even if it takes two or three years, we would be going on. I pray God keep us alive.”
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has backed the indefinite closure of the school.
Okowa, in a Facebook post on Saturday morning, expressed sadness over the incident and condoled with the family of the deceased.
Okowa wrote, “Last night, I spoke to Mr. Sylvester Oromoni, the father of the late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, the Dowen College student who unfortunately died under very controversial and unclear circumstances.
“During the call, I expressed my agreement with the decision of the Lagos State Government to launch an investigation into the death of Sylvester, a native of Warri South LGA in Delta State.
“As a government that places priority on the lives of our citizens within and outside the state, we are determined to pursue this case to the end. The matter must be investigated, perpetrators apprehended, punished to serve as a very strong deterrence against future occurrences.”
In the same vein, Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, in a statement on Saturday by his media aide, Yomi Odunuga, commended the Lagos State Government for shutting down the school, expressing shock and sadness over the death of Sylvester Jnr.
He said, “The closure of the school will help children, who are back home, to share their experiences with their parents and guardians. They are in the safety of their homes where they fear no immediate reprisals of the revelations.
“The incident is one too many as it reminds us of how children in schools are subjected to dehumanising treatments, with some losing their lives in the process. My profound condolences to the Oromoni family and it is my prayer that God will give the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
