Rosemary, the mother of Sylvester Oromoni, the student of Dowen College who died due to alleged bullying, has died after complications related to intermittent blood pressure issues.
A source close to the family disclosed that Rosemary passed away in late November after seven months since a Lagos coroner’s court dismissed the family’s case in April 2024.
Her health reportedly deteriorated following the emotional toll of the prolonged case and its eventual dismissal.
LEADERSHIP recalls that 12-year-old Oromoni died on November 30, 2021 as a student at Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos.
His parents had alleged that five of his male schoolmates, Favour Benjamin, Michael Kashamu, Edward Begue, Ansel Temile, and Kenneth Inyang physically assaulted and administered a toxic substance on their son.
The school denied the allegations, maintaining that the boy’s injuries resulted from a football-related incident.
The first autopsy indicated “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication,” but this was discredited over procedural concerns.
A second autopsy by the Lagos Directorate of Public Prosecutions concluded that Oromoni died “naturally.”
The case was closed in April 2024 with the coroner ruling that Oromoni’s death was due to sepsis caused by an infection stemming from an ankle injury.
Judge Mikhail Kadiri attributed the death to “parental and medical negligence” while exonerating Dowen College and the accused boys.
The five accused students were subsequently cleared of all allegations and released from a juvenile home in 2022.
The Oromoni family kept the boy’s body in a morgue until his burial on January 27, 2024, as a form of protest against the legal findings.
Throughout the two-year trial, the family maintained that critical evidence supporting their claims was overlooked.