Dowen College: Oromoni Jnr Inquest Blames Death on Parental Negligence

A coroner’s inquest established to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of 12-year-old Dowen College student, Sylvester Oromoni Jr. has concluded that the cause of death was septicemia due to an infection and that it could have been avoided if the parents had provided proper care.

The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri blamed the parents for their negligence in handling the issue.

“The parents neglected to seek medical attention for their son promptly, leading to unnecessary pain and suffering”.

Sylvester Oromoni Jr. reportedly died on November 30, 2021, at a private hospital in Warri, Delta, after alleged health complications at Dowen College, Lagos.

After his death, the Lagos State Government shut down the school and set up a coroner’s inquest to unravel the circumstances of his death. The inquest began in January 2022.

The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri stated in a 255-page judgement that lasted for over 7 hours that the deceased death could have been avoidable.

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He noted that the deceased went through avoidable excruciating pain and needless suffering until his death because of how his parents handled the issue.

Magistrate Kadiri stated that he did not believe the version of the family doctor, Henry Aghogho’s evidence.

He did not provide the required duty of care for the patient whose home care treatment was “trivialized”. despite the early diagnosis, the doctor was found to have abandoned the deceased for more than 32 hours and didn’t carry out an X-ray and scan early enough which would have revealed his deteriorating condition.

Despite the deceased condition, he completely neglected the victim, the clinical records show that he did not give quality treatment to the deceased, it also exposed the lies behind his evidence.

The family had claimed that the death was due to bullying by five senior students and that the school did not provide adequate medical treatment. However, the coroner found no evidence to support these claims

The magistrate advised parents to take their children’s health seriously and for better collaboration between medical and police teams.

Additionally, he recommended psychological evaluation for the accused students due to the allegations made against them.