By Dennis Erezi

Lagos State Government has exonerated the five students and five employees of Dowen College linked to the death of a 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni, in the state.

Also cleared by the government from being responsible for Sylvester’s death, a nephew to Delta state deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro, was the management and school building in Lekki.

The students cleared by the state government were: 16-year-old Favour Benjamin, Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14) and Kenneth Inyang (15) and 15-year-old Micheal Kashamu, the son of late senator, Buruji Kashamu.

Dowen College staff cleared are Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun and one Adeyemi.

Their clearance was contained in advice by Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) released on Wednesday.

The DPP’s advice said the police probe and the two autopsies conducted on the body of the deceased student failed to establish a prima facie case against the suspects.

Oromoni died last November after efforts to save his life failed. The 12-year-old boy was alleged to have been attacked by five of his senior colleagues for refusing to join a cult.

Oromoni’s father had claimed that his child was beaten and fed a liquid chemical that eventually claimed his life.

But Dowen College had dismissed the claim, saying the boy sustained injuries while playing football with his colleagues.

Lagos State government sealed off the school after Lagos State police commissioner Hakeem Odumosu ordered a probe into the matter.

DPP’s advice, however, disclosed that the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and toxicology report of post-mortem samples revealed the cause of death as “Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle, and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis”.

The DPP noted that there was no proven case of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm [the deceased] against the five accused Dowen College students.

The state cleared the minors of belonging to unlawful society (cultism) due to insufficient facts to establish the claim.

Lagos also cleared the school and five of its employees (Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun, and one Adeyemi) of the alleged offense of “negligent act causing harm.”