‘Sylvestre Oromoni died of Pneumonia and other infections, not from beating or ingestion of a chemical, likely to be engine oil‘
The five students arrested and arraigned for alleged involvement in the fatal beating that led to the death of Sylvester Oromoni, the 12-year old Dowen College student, have been exonerated by the Lagos State Government.
According to legal advice by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the five boys had no case to answer because the autopsy conducted by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital shows Sylvester Oromoni died of Pneumonia and other infections, not from beating or ingestion of chemical, likely engine oil.
The Punch, in a report, says also cleared was Kingsley Otuaro, the manager of the school building in Lekki.
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Autopsy shows Sylvester Oromoni died of lung injury
The legal advice lists the names of the cleared students to be; 16-year-old Favour Benjamin, Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14) and Kenneth Inyang (15) and 15-year-old Micheal Kashamu, the son of the late senator, Buruji Kashamu.
Officials cleared by the government through the Director of Public Prosecution are Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun and one Adeyemi.
But the family of Sylvester Oromoni had said that an autopsy conducted by consultant pathologist, Dr Clement Vhriterhire, at the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State concluded that Oromoni died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication in a background of blunt force trauma.”
But the autopsy the Lagos State government said was conducted by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, which claimed there was no chemical found in his lung.
The state government legal advice also directed that all the suspects should be released if they are still in custody.
According to Punch, a copy of the legal advice, signed by the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State, Ms Adetutu Oshinusi, was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, and the trial magistrate, Magistrate Olatunbosun Adeola.
The advice stated that the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and toxicology report of post mortem samples and that of the Central Hospital, Warri were in agreement as to the cause of death of Sylvester Oromoni namely: Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.
“The result of the toxicology is also not indicative of any toxic or poisonous substance in the body of the deceased,” it added.
The DPP’s legal advice, therefore, concluded that based on these findings, there is “no prima facie case of murder, involuntary manslaughter and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm against the five students”.
It stated that “from available facts in the duplicate case file, the investigation carried out by the Police did not reveal that any secret society name, tattoo or insignia of any unlawful society was found in the possession of any of the suspects during the investigation carried out by the Police.
“To hold otherwise would amount to sniffing for an offence and a speculative act which is not permitted in law. It is trite law that suspicion no matter how grave cannot be a ground for conviction.”