The Lagos State government on Friday said it would unravel the circumstances behind the death of a 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Sylvester Oromoni.
Oromoni was said to have died as a result of internal wounds allegedly sustained through beating by his fellow schoolmates who wanted to coerce him into joining cultism, an allegation which the school had denied.
A video showing the said boy with injured mouth and swollen legs and stomach and also writhing in pains has also gone viral with the exact cause(s) of his demise still unknown at the time of filing this report.
However, the state government gave the promise to unravel the circumstance in a statement made available to newsmen by the Head of Public Affairs unit of the state’s Ministry of Education, Mr Ganiu Lawal, on Friday.
According to the statement, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, noted that the incident was shocking and the state was indeed sad about this great loss.
“But a delegation comprising top level management of relevant ministries, departments and agencies of government and the police has visited the school on a fact-finding mission.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Sylvester Oromoni was indeed enrolled as a student of Dowen College in its boarding facility and had been treated by the school’s medical personnel before the school requested that the parents take him away for further care.
“So, the state government is in touch with the parents in this difficult time.
“And we reassure the family of the late Sylvester Oromoni and Lagos residents at large that efforts are being made to unravel the circumstances leading to his demise, even as we reiterate the government’s commitment to child protection.”