Mr. Sylvester Oromoni Snr., the father of late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr., testified that the late Dowen College Student who was alleged by his family to have sustained injuries as a result of bullying by five senior students of the college was not treated at a hospital.
Disclosing this on Monday, the fifth prosecution witness, Oromoni informed the inquest saddled with unraveling the circumstances leading to the death of his son, that the deceased was treated at home in Warri, Delta after the Oromoni family doctor, Dr. Aghogho Owhojede had said that there was no private ward available in his hospital.
He said this before an Ikeja Coroner’s Inquest while being cross-examined by the counsel to one of the accused students, Mr. Godwin Omoaka (SAN).
Explaining on the timeline of events from when Oromoni Jnr., was brought home from school by his guardian Mr. Clifford Tejere, on November 23, 2021 from school.
He told the court that Tejere did not notice any sign of beating on the body of the deceased and that no swollen spot was noticed on the ankle of the late student where it is alleged by the school that he had sustained a football injury.
Mr. Oromoni added that a full body X-ray was not conducted by the family when he came home from school.
“There was an x-ray conducted on the part the school wanted us to do which was the legs down. He was taken to a diagnostic center,” Oromoni Snr. said.
The father of the deceased revealed that his son was not taken to a hospital on November 24, 2021 by the family and that he arrived Lagos from Delta at 6 :00p.m on November 25, 2021 after he was alerted by family that his son is in a critical state.
He revealed that after he arrived Lagos, he took his son back to Dowen College, arriving at the school at 7:00p.m to pack his belongings.
He said that on November 26, 2021 he left for Warri, Delta with his son and arrived in the evening and that Oromoni Jnr. was not taken to a hospital on that day.
“On November 26, 27 and 28 2021, he was treated in my house on doctor’s directives.
“On November 29, he was taken to St. Louis Laboratory for a scan. We were referred by the doctor to go there.
“I was not there on that day because I had rushed to my house in Asaba, Delta to pick up something and I came back the next morning which is November 30, 2021.
“He died on November 30, 2021, I was already in Warri when he died. I was in the hospital when the doctor confirmed to us that he did not make it.”
The witness further revealed that after Oromoni Jnr. was confirmed dead, the family wanted to bury him immediately.
“From the clinic, they were taking him for burial. I called them and they brought him back in the Hilux that they were using to convey him and they parked in front of my gate.
“The police came and took pictures and videos of the body and after that they asked me to take him to the mortuary and not bury him, ” he said.
Following revelation by Mr. Oromoni , a counsel to one of the students, Mr. Omoaka requested that series of interviews he had granted to the press (Arise TV, the Punch Newspapers and BBC Pidgin) be played at the inquest.
In the video clips, the witness was alleging that his son was dragged, severely beaten, his stomach stumped upon by some senior students of the school.
Continuing, Oromoni Snr. revealed that he had never been to his son’s hostel at Dowen College.
He however accepted that other students would have heard the outcry of his son if he was being beaten by alleged bullies.
The Coroner, Mr. Mikhail Kadiri adjourned proceedings until February 15 (today) for continuation of the cross-examination.
