By Joy Yesufu
Rosemary Oromoni, the mother of Sylvester Oromoni—a student at Dowen College whose death in 2021 ignited widespread outrage over allegations of bullying—has died.
Family sources informed said that she passed away on Monday, last week due to complications from ongoing blood pressure issues.
The family source told the network on the telephone that death of Sylvester Jnr contributed seriously the deterioration of the health of Mrs Oromoni.
Her death follows a lengthy and painful legal battle for the family, culminating in a coroner’s court ruling in April 2024 that dismissed their case.
Sylvester, only 12 years old, died on November 30, 2021, while attending Dowen College in Lekki, Lagos.
His parents accused five male classmates of bullying, physical assault, and administering a toxic substance to him, claims which the school denied, attributing his injuries to a football accident.
The initial autopsy suggested “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication,” but these findings were later contested due to procedural irregularities.
A subsequent autopsy conducted by the Lagos Directorate of Public Prosecutions established that Sylvester died of natural causes.
Ultimately, in April 2024, the coroner ruled that his death resulted from sepsis linked to an ankle injury. Judge Mikhail Kadiri cited “parental and medical negligence” as contributing factors, while absolving Dowen College and the accused students of any wrongdoing.
The five students—Favour Benjamin, Michael Kashamu, Edward Begue, Ansel Temile, and Kenneth Inyang—were cleared of all accusations and released from a juvenile facility in 2022.
In a poignant act of protest, the Oromoni family kept Sylvester’s body in a morgue until his burial on January 27, 2024, reflecting their dissatisfaction with the legal outcomes and maintaining that vital evidence that could have supported their claims was ignored.
The source said that the father Mr Sylvester Oromoni is devastated by the sad incident having lost both the son and the wife.
The source added further that the entire Oromoni family is in pain over the death.
