Expressing his disagreement with the recent ruling by the Coroner Inquest in Ogba Magistrate Court regarding the tragic passing of 12-year-old Dowen College student, Sylvester Junior Oromoni, human rights advocate Femi Falana criticized the decision for overlooking important toxicological examinations and retracting initial calls for criminal negligence charges. This was despite substantial evidence and reports of bullying within the school, including the discovery of an unidentified substance in Sylvester’s stomach.
The Coroner Magistrate, Mikhail Kadiri, previously stated that Oromoni’s demise was attributed to inadequate treatment of his enlarged liver due to neglect by his parents and doctor.
Kadiri asserted, “It is evident that the health of the deceased deteriorated under (doctor) PW 3’s supervision.”
“PW 3 failed to provide proper care for the deceased, leaving him unattended for over 32 hours.
“The death of the deceased could have been prevented if not for the negligence of the parents and PW 3, who delayed taking him to the hospital until his passing on November 30, 2021.
“The deceased needlessly endured excruciating pain due to avoidable circumstances,” Kadiri expressed.
In response to the verdict, Falana criticized the Coroner for disregarding the government pathologist’s findings that the “black substance” discovered in the deceased’s stomach was not subjected to toxicological analysis.
“It raises questions that the Coroner overlooked the government pathologist’s testimony on the lack of toxicological examination on the ‘black substance’ found in the deceased’s stomach, with claims that he was coerced into consuming a harmful substance.
“The Acting Director of Public Prosecution of Lagos State had initially recommended the prosecution of certain staff and students for negligence related to bullying within the school. Surprisingly, the Acting DPP reversed course and deemed there was no case to pursue without new evidence from law enforcement. The Coroner upheld the DPP’s authority to rescind recommendations at any point!
“Medical professionals testified that the deceased succumbed to sepsis, potentially exacerbated by excessive leg massages. Yet, the Coroner overlooked that the school’s medical team massaged the leg for two days before advising the parents to take him home.
“Mysteriously, the Coroner chose to overlook the overwhelming evidence of bullying towards the deceased, his sister, and other students. Dismissing eyewitness accounts of the deceased being assaulted and tormented by senior students, the Coroner attributed the death to natural causes. However, he failed to refer the family doctor to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for potential disciplinary action,” Falana pointed out.