THE Coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, looking into the death of late 12-year-old Dowen College pupil, Sylvester Oromoni, has concluded that the he died of natural causes.
In a decision that lasted more than 6 hours, the coroner also revealed that the boy’s death on November 30, 2021, was preventable as the negligence of the parents and the medical team also contributed to it.
He stated that the evidence gathered revealed that the late Sylvester had “avoidable excruciating pain” as a result of parental and medical neglect, which led to his “needless” death.
The coroner’s inquiry, which began on January 15, 2022, heard testimony from a total of 32 witnesses.
They included the late student’s parents, Dowen College’s administration, certain teachers, staff members, and students who were accused of bullying the late student.
Others who testified included police officers who investigated the incident, medical doctors, and pathologists.
The results of two autopsy on the late student in Warri, Delta State, and Lagos were among the evidence presented.
The autopsies found that the cause of death was septicemia, which required immediate medical attention but was not provided in a timely manner.
The autopsy on the deceased was conducted at the Central Hospital in Warri, Delta State, with only family members present, while another was conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital with approximately ten pathologists representing various parties including the family, Lagos State Government, and Dowen College.
Reading from his notes, Magistrate Kadiri said, “Death was caused by Septicaemia (a life-threatening health condition caused by a patient’s body’s response to an infection), following infections of the lungs and kidneys arising from the ankle wound.
“No evidence of blunt force trauma in this body. The findings in the oesophagus and stomach are not compatible with chemical intoxication. Death, in this case, is natural.
“Dr Sunday Soyemi, who led the Lagos procedure has stated in the autopsy report that sepsis, which led to the death of the boy, could have been treated with “massive doses of intravenous antibiotic, intravenous fluid and blood transfusion”, but which was never done.”
“From the evidence, Sylvester was said to have sustained an injury on his ankle between November 20 and 21, following first aid treatment, the school contacted his parents to come and pick him up for further treatment”.
“A guardian was sent to the school who took him for an X-ray, but no fracture was detected. But, he wasn’t taken to a hospital for care in Lagos until days later when he was moved to his base in warri, and treated at home by the family doctor, Henry Aghogho”.
The Coroner criticized the family doctor, Henry Aghogho for not providing the required duty of care for the patient whose home care treatment he said was “trivialized” despite early diagnosis.
“The doctor was found to have abandoned the deceased for more than 32 hours and didn’t carry out an X-ray and scan early enough which would have revealed his deteriorating condition”.
The coroner, who broke down in tears several times while reading his findings and even rose at a point to comport himself, said the case was touching but needed objectivity.
He exonerated the school of negligence and the five senior students accused of bullying the deceased and administering a poisonous substance on him.
“The alleged suspects played no part in Sylvester’s death, but were victims of their past misdeeds. They were falsely accused, no staff of Dowen College played any role in the death.
“The school has improved on their facilities since the incident. The claims of chemical intoxication was never proven, and the faces of those allegedly bullying the deceased weren’t seen. The alleged confession of Sylvester was denied by several witnesses. Even if he was beaten, it didn’t lead to his death.”
The Coroner also made several recommendations to prevent similar tragic events in the future. He urged parents to not take their children’s health with levity.
He also urged the police and medical teams to work together in the future, and for the police to exercise caution before making arrests.
He also advised that Dowen College’s administration, to ensure documentation of entry and exit of students out of the hostel, as well as proper psychological evaluation for the five pupils suspected of bullying the dead.
The late Oromoni Jnr died on November 30, 2021, at a private hospital in Warri, Delta State, as a result of health difficulties purportedly caused by his school, Dowen College in Lagos.
Following his death, the Lagos State Government initiated a coroner’s inquest to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, which commenced in January 2022.
