By Eniola Daniel
• Police, Court must not disappoint us, says Odumakin
• Oromoni was deeply loved by teachers, students, says Dowen
As controversy rages over the death of 12-year-old student, Sylvester Oromoni Jr of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos, a petition by the Irede Foundation on Change.org asking for justice for the deceased, yesterday, received 10,677 signatories from the 15,000 mark.
The foundation in the petition is asking Nigeria Police to act immediately and investigate the circumstances that led to the death of young Oromoni.
This is as the police on Saturday, promised to investigate the circumstances leading to the boy’s death. Besides, the President, Women Arise, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin has called on the police and the judicial system not to dash the hope of the masses in the case.
Okei-Odumakin in a statement yesterday said, Sylvester would have been 12 on December 4 but could not make it.
She said: “There are so many questions to ask, but the question of justice supersedes them all. Justice for Sylvester Oromoni.
“Are we going to get the names of the secondary school students that perpetrated the heinous act. Probably the children of eminent people, who are by now running helter-skelter to fiddle with the process to cover up the deeds of their children.
“How do we redefine the school environment such that this crime does not define the school. We are so sad and we condole with the family of Sylvester.
“We insist that the police, the state government and the judicial system must all live up and not present the usual disappointment.
“After this, we must raise a concerted effort to ensure that we distinguish between the school and the deadly jungle.”
Also, Convener, Concerned Nigerians Group, Comrade Deji Adeyanju yesterday said, while the school is culpable for trying to cover up, parents should open their eyes and spend quality time to train their kids.
“My friend, who is a teacher in a primary school said everytime they report kids to their parents, the majority of the parents always rush to defend their kids.
“It’s very easy to blame the school. The bulk of the time, kids are at home. Are you going to outsource parenting to schools?
Did the school mandate students to join a cult? Bad parenting and woke generation is responsible,“ he added.
MEANWHILE, the Board and Management of Dowen College, after the closure of the school, promised to help authorities in the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The school via statement released on its Instagram page, @dowencollegelagos, commiserated with the Sylvester Oromoni family.
The statement, which was signed by the Board and Management of Dowen College, was titled, ‘Dowen College speaks: Commiserates with Sylvester Oromoni’s family’.
It reads: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of one of our beloved students, Sylvester Oromoni Jr. He was dearly loved by his teachers, fellow students and he was a beacon of light for the school.
“The tragic unfortunate incident, which transpired this past November, and Sylvester’s untimely death require thorough and proper investigation. Dowen College is fully committed to this. We are assisting the authorities to get to the bottom of this heart-breaking incident. The first step taken by the school, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, has been the immediate closure of the school to aid the investigation.
“We commiserate with the Oromoni family and students of Dowen College who have lost a friend and fellow student. This is a traumatic experience. We assure our parents that the school is taking steps to ensure the safety and security of their children and wards. This is paramount. Every child is valued at Dowen College and their health and well-being is of utmost priority to the school.”
