Adebisi Layiwola, principal of Dowen College, has told an Ikeja coroner’s court that the suspected bullies of late Sylvester Oromoni Jnr asked him to describe his sister’s nudity.
Gatekeepers News reports that Layiwola revealed this while testifying on Tuesday in court. She also admitted that she did not ask the suspected bullies if they gave Oromoni any substance to consume.
The 12-year-old Oromoni was allegedly beaten by some senior students who tried to initiate him into a cult group in the school, and he eventually died on November 30, 2021, after efforts to save his life failed.
The deceased father maintained that his son was beaten and fed a liquid chemical, but Dowen College had dismissed the claim, saying the boy sustained injuries while playing football with his colleagues.
An autopsy carried out by Clement Vhriterhire, a consultant pathologist at the Central Hospital Warri, says Oromoni died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication in a background of blunt force trauma.”
On Tuesday, the Principal wept before an Ikeja coroner’s court while explaining how Oromoni’s death was reported to her.
According to her, she got the news of the student’s death while in the process of investigating an allegation that the deceased was bullied by some senior students.
“When the uncle of the deceased came to the school, we were still in the process of the investigation,” she said.
“He received a call from the sister of the deceased in my presence, that the deceased’s case had taken a bad turn. It was not long, he received another call that the boy had passed on.”
She broke down in tears at that moment of her testimony and the coroner ordered a 10-minute break.
The principal also told the court that there was no cult in the school during cross-examination by counsel to the Oromoni family, Femi Falana.
“On the cult allegation, there is no cult in the school. In October, I was informed that the deceased was told to describe the nudity of his sister by some students,” she added.
“We called the students who were involved but we did not really talk to them about being in a cult. We spoke to them on the issue of bullying.”
When Falana inquired if she asked the students whether they gave the deceased a substance to drink, she replied: “I did not ask them.”
When Falana also asked: “Would you be surprised that a black substance was found in the deceased body?, she responded “I would not be surprised because I am not a pathologist
Falana further enquired if the witness was aware that some parents had withdrawn their children from the school because of bullying allegations.
“No. I cannot remember,” she said.
After Layiwola’s testimony, Anthony Kpokpo, counsel to Dowen College, informed the court that the principal was the last witness from the school.
The coroner, Mikhail Kadiri thereafter adjourned proceedings until March 7 for the continuation of hearing.
Gatekeepers News earlier reported that several Dowen College principal officers including Olumide Phillips, the school’s founder have resigned following the controversies that surrounded Oromoni’s death.
