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Oromoni: Father Kicks As Coroner Blames Parents, Doctor For Teenager’s Death

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Mr Sylvester Oromoni Snr, the father of the late 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lekki, Sylvester Junior, who died under controversial circumstances after allegedly being bullied and forced to drink a substance, has rejected the judgment of the Coroner Inquest which indicted him, his wife and the family doctor for their son’s death.

He said it was not the end of the case, as the medical expert did not give them a concluding result of the black substance that was found in their son’s stomach.

The Coroner Inquest that looked into the findings of the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, had, on Monday, exonerated Dowen College and the five students who were accused of bullying, beating, and forcing the deceased to drink a substance that allegedly caused his death and indicted the deceased’s parents and family doctor of negligence.

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Oromoni died on November 30, 2021.

The coroner, Magistrate Mikhail Kadiri, in his judgment at the Ogba Magistrate Court, held that Dowen College, its staff members, and the five students namely, Favour Benjamin, 16; Edward Begue (16); Ansel Temile (14); Kenneth Inyang and Michael Kashamu, 16, son of the late Senator Buruji Kashamu, did not play any role that led to the death of Oromoni.

READ ALSO: Sylvester Oromoni’s Death: Coroner Inquest Releases Report

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He cleared the school of any negligence and the five senior students accused of bullying the deceased and administering a poisonous substance to him.

He said, “The alleged suspects played no part in Sylvester’s death but were victims of their past misdeeds. They were falsely accused, and no staff of Dowen College played any role in the death. The school has improved its facilities since the incident.

“The claims of chemical intoxication were never proven, and the faces of those allegedly bullying the deceased weren’t seen. The alleged confession of Sylvester was denied by several witnesses. Even if he was beaten, it didn’t lead to his death.”

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He said that the deceased played football on November 20, 2021, and his leg was massaged by his roommates and the school nurse.

Magistrate Kadiri, who conducted the inquest while revealing his findings, said the death was avoidable.

READ ALSO: Sylvester Oromoni’s Death: Coroner Inquest Releases Report

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Kadiri, who stopped at intervals to weep about the death of Oromoni, said the teenager‘s death was avoidable and as well as caused by the negligence of the parents and the family doctor, Aghogho Owhojede, who didn’t take him to the hospital until the day he died on November 30, 2021.

The coroner broke down in tears several times while reading his findings and even rose at a point to comport himself, saying the case was touching but needed objectivity.

The deceased went through an avoidable and excruciating pain and was made to suffer needlessly,” Kadiri said.

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The Magistrate, while delivering his findings which lasted for more than six hours, said 32 witnesses testified in the coroner’s inquest which started sitting in January 2022.

Among the evidence the coroner relied on included the findings of two autopsies conducted on the deceased at the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State, with only the family present, and at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where about 10 pathologists representing various parties including the family, Lagos State Government and Dowen College took part in.

READ ALSO: Sylvester Oromoni’s Death: Coroner Fixes Date To Release Inquest

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“He said that the autopsy conducted on December 14, 2021, in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital by Dr. Sunday Soyemi and the toxicology report of post-mortem samples of the Central Hospital, Warri Delta State conducted by Pathologist Consultant Dr Clement Vhriterhire were in agreement as to the cause of death namely, Septicemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.

“Death was caused by Septicaemia (a life-threatening health condition caused by a patient’s body’s response to an infection), following infections of the lungs and kidneys arising from the ankle wound,” he said.

According to him, “No evidence of blunt force trauma in this body. The findings in the oesophagus and stomach are not compatible with chemical intoxication. Death, in this case, is natural.”

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Dr Sunday Soyemi, who led the Lagos procedure, stated in the autopsy report that sepsis, which led to the death of the boy, could have been treated with “massive doses of intravenous antibiotic, intravenous fluid and blood transfusion”, but which was never done.

From the evidence, Sylvester was said to have sustained an injury on his ankle between November 20 and 21. Following first aid treatment, the school contacted his parents to come and pick him up for further treatment.

READ ALSO: Sylvester Oromoni: Pathologist Reveals Real Cause Of Dowen College Student’s Death

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The deceased’s guardian, Mr Clifford Tejere, was sent on November 23, 2021, to the school to pick him up and took him for an X-ray, but no fracture was detected.

The family doctor, Aghogho, was also lambasted for not providing the required duty of care for the patient whose home care treatment was “trivialised”.

“I do not believe the version of the family doctor, Aghogho’s evidence.

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“Despite early diagnosis, the doctor (Aghogho), 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,” he said.

The coroner also recommended that parents should not treat their children’s health with levity, as well as ensure better synergy between police and medical teams in such matters.

He also called for proper psychological evaluation for the five students suspected to have bullied the deceased.

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READ ALSO: Dowen College: Group Demands Timely Justice As Late Sylvester Oromoni Is Buried

Immediately after the judgment, the deceased’s father in an interview with journalists said the medical expert did not give them a concluding result.

“They said they saw a substance inside the body of the deceased. Was it tested, it wasn’t tested. This is not the end of the case. As far as I am concerned it does not represent a true proceeding of the evidence taken,” he said.

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When asked about his next action and if he would appeal the judgment, he said, “Don’t worry, I will consult my lawyer.

“If you send a child to school, a distant school, who is to take care of the child in the school? Is it not the principal and the doctor of the school?

“if you say that it is the doctor after five days that is supposed to take care of the child and that the doctor here and the school principal are exempted, who is the immediate parent of the boy?” he queried.

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READ ALSO: Police Arrest Suspected Killers Of Sylvester Oromoni, Dowen College Student

The deceased’s family lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), while reacting to the judgment of the Coroner, stated that it was curious that the coroner ignored the evidence of the government pathologist that the “black substance” found in the stomach of the deceased was not subjected to toxicological examination. The allegation was that the deceased was forced to drink a poisonous substance.

According to him, the acting Director of Public Prosecution of Lagos State at the material time had recommended that some staff and students be prosecuted for criminal negligence over the bullying of students in the school. Four days later, the acting DPP turned around to say that there was no case to answer without any fresh evidence from the police investigators. The coroner ruled that the acting DPP had the power to withdraw her recommendations at any time!

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The doctors who testified stated that the deceased died of sepsis and that the sepsis could have been caused by excessive massaging of the leg of the deceased.

“The coroner conveniently overlooked the fact that the school doctor and the nurses massaged the leg of the deceased for two days before inviting his parents to take him home.

“In an attempt to exonerate Dowen College, the coroner was silent on the overwhelming evidence of the bullying of the deceased, his sister, and other students by the same set of students.

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Dowen’s lawyer, Anthony Popo, said what had happened was an unravelling of atupostriry of life and painstaking attention to details by the Coroner, who spent so much time, over 900 pages of records of proceedings and that he produced the truth in line with logic, and in line with science.

“It is unfortunate that innocent young boys almost had their lives irreversibly destroyed because of lies. It is a good thing that we all had the opportunity before the Coroner and the verdict has come strong, exonerated Dowen College of over 23 years and all the Dowen students,” he said.

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Yakubu Hands Over To New INEC Acting Chair

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Professor Mahmood Yakubu has handed over to May Agbamuche as the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Agbamuche is the oldest serving National Commissioner in the electoral body.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Directs INEC Chairman Yakubu To Immediately Proceed On Leave

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Professor Mahmood announced this on Tuesday at the ongoing meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

He solicited the support of the commissioners and directors of the commission for Agbamuche, until the appointment of a substantive chairman.

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Edo LG Warns MUYI Line, Other Over Traffic Violation, Obstruction

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Egor Local Government Council, Edo State, has warned Managing Director of MUYI Line Transport Company and the General Manager of Mouka Foam Limited, both located along Uselu-Lagos Road from obstructing traffic along the highway.

Executive Chairman of the local government council, Hon. Osaro Osa Eribo, gave the warning when he, accompanied by security operatives, media representatives, and other officials, visited the scene to assess the situation firsthand.

Speaking during the visit, Eribo expressed displeasure over the continuous obstruction of the road and warned both companies to desist from such unlawful practices.

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According to him, the “repeated cases of road obstruction and traffic violations caused by trucks and buses belonging to the two companies, which have been parked indiscriminately on the service lane, create serious traffic congestion and inconvenience for road users.”

READ ALSO:Stop Using Edo Money For Federal Roads, Residents Tell Okpebholo

He emphasized that the government would no longer tolerate any form of traffic violation or road blockage by motorists or business operators within the local government.

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The Chairman directed the management of the two companies to report to the council secretariat immediately for further discussions and resolution.

He also cautioned other road users and business owners to adhere strictly to traffic regulations, warning that anyone found obstructing the free flow of traffic would face strict penalties in accordance with the law.

 

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[OPINION] Iyaloja Of Benin: Lessons In Cultural Diversity

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By Suyi Ayodele

President Theodore Roosevelt, (October 27, 1858-January 1919), was the 26th president of the United States. He served from 1901-1909. When asked to rein in his 19-year-old daughter, Alice, whose conducts had become so embarrassing to the people, the man known as TR, had this to say: “I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice Roosevelt. I cannot possibly do both.”

Children of the mighty and most powerful, in some instances, are pains to their parents. Yoruba sociology of parenting categorises children based on their behaviours in the public. There are some children regarded as àkóìgbà, which refers to the category of children who are patently impervious to correction. An àkóìgbà child, though well-brought up, remains an outcast in behaviour. He or she behaves in manners that negate the home training given from the cradle.

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The second categorisation is the àbíìkó or àbíìpabé children. These are the ones whose antisocial behaviours can be excused because the fault lies with poor parenting. An àbíìkó or àbíìpabé child receives no home training and as such, has nothing going on for him or her in terms of good upbringing. In the real street lingo, they are called born throwey (born and throw away).

There are some known as omo òwúrò alé. Children in this category are the ones who were given the normal proper family training but, along the line, abandoned those lofty morals due to bad influence and adopted behaviours that conflict with their family. The beauty of an omo òwúrò alé is that timely intervention can save the situation and bring them back on track.

The worst category is the omo pàpànlagi. Those in this typology are lost, completely – nothing can change them. They attach no importance to family values and have no sense of shame. When an omo pàpànlagi exhibits his or her characters in the public place, the opprobrium is always on the family. Unfortunately, majority of members of his or her family are of good accounts, good characters and enviable dispositions. The question is: how does an omo pàpànlagi acquire the bad behaviour?

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When a child displays any character that indicates an error in his or her upbringing, the African society has a way of correcting that. In most cases, the reaction of those who experience the detestable character is to send the unruly child back home. This method, I dare posit, is common in Yorubaland where the saying: Òde la ti únkó omo tí kò ní èkó(a bad child receives lessons in good conduct from outsiders) holds sway.

Back to Alice Roosevelt. Two biographers, Colin McEvoy and Tyler Piccotti, in a July 23, 2025, piece titled: Hunter Biden and the 8 Most Problematic Presidential Children of All Time, say of Alice thus: “Although her actions might seem harmless by today’s standards, Alice Roosevelt was such an unconventional woman during her day that she repeatedly made headlines and caused headaches for her father Theodore Roosevelt…. Alice smoked and swore in public, which was practically unheard of among female socialites at the time. She also attended and placed bets at horse races and took her pet snake to parties. Before William Howard Taft became president, Alice buried a voodoo doll of Taft’s wife Nellie in the White House front yard, earning herself a ban from the nation’s capital.”

Alice was so notorious that she featured again in another article by the Newsweek, The Most Problematic Presidential Children, published a year earlier on June 13, 2024. That notoriety by Alice informed why Americans called on their president to do something about the behaviour of his daughter, and he quipped the opening quote.

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Nigeria has its fair share of Alice Roosevelt. Noemie Emery, on June 25, 2003, details misbehaviours of the children of the mighty and powerful in Why Have So Many Presidents’ Kids Gone Wrong? A reading of the portraits of the children mentioned in the piece will resonate with what Nigerians have experienced in the hands of spoilt brats of their leaders. Something close to Emery’s piece occurred the penultimate week in Edo State.

What played out in the sacred palace of the Oba of Benin, last Thursday, between the Benin monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, and the self-imposed Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folasade Ojo-Tinubu, daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calls for sober reflection.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Dangote’s Oily Wars

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Every society defines its own structure. The Benin people of Edo State are a peculiar lot. When our elders say how we behave here is a taboo in another land (bí a ti únse níbí, èèwò ibòmíì), they probably have the Benin people in mind.

That is exactly what the Benin sovereign, Oba Ewuare II, did to Mrs. Folasade Ojo-Tinubu, when she came calling to the Benin Palace with the misadventure of Iyaloja of all Edo Markets.

The uniqueness of the Benin Palace lies more in the carriage of the oba. The Omo N’Oba is the epitome of the culture, tradition and custom of the Benin people. In him, the people find their essence. His personage speaks royalty in all ramifications. Thus, what one can do and get away with in many palaces, will no doubt attract severe sanctions if done in the Omo N’Oba’s palace.

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If there is any Black nation that still holds to its foundational culture, give it to Benin. Everything in the ancient city, and by its people, revolves round the monarch. He, like the modern-day executive president, is the fountain of honour. The Omo N’Oba owns every inch of Benin land. He creates dukedoms and appoints Dukes to oversee them in trust. He is the law, the judge and jailer!

The Benin palace operates a new level of protocol. For instance, the Omo N’Oba does not wait for anybody. The oba, hailed as Umogun, determines who he sees. And when he sits in his court, the entire kingdom bows in deference. In any of his court sessions, he determines the proceedings. He appoints who to talk and dictates what to say. Benin palace functionaries, at any time, can read the body language of the oba and act accordingly.

Another unique nature of the Benin palace is the way different guests to the ancient palace are treated differently. Beyond the general courtesy extended to guests, the issues to be discussed determine how the king reacts. For issues of less importance, the Omo N’Oba does not speak directly. Especially when it has to do with the tradition of the Benin Kingdom, the place does not place a premium on the personality of the guest. For the oba and his subject, it is Benin tradition before any other thing.

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When the oba prays, he calls on God and the ancestors – because without the tradition, there is no kingdom. Therefore, when anyone approaches the palace with any alien tradition different from that handed over by the ancestors, the palace does not spare any effort at setting the record straight.

One of the traditions of the Benin people is that when the oba speaks on any matter, his words become law. No one fights the palace and becomes popular. Whatever the Oba of Benin hates, becomes abhorrent to the entire Benin. Whoever clashes with the oba becomes an enemy of the entire kingdom.

Once a person is declared the enemy of the palace, oghionba, the person immediately becomes a pariah. No Benin son or daughter associates with anyone who has a score to settle with the Uku Akpolokpolo! This is an unwritten code that has passed from generation to generation. There is nothing to show that such will change soon. This is one of the lessons any guest to the palace must learn and understand before venturing to the sacred ground where the Oduma (Lion) of Benin Kingdom resides. ‘Civilisation’ has not succeeded in changing that order!

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Albert Lekan Oyeleye, a professor of English Language, taught Pragmatics, Semantics and Discourse Analysis at the University of Ibadan. In his Truth Condition seminar class a few years ago, he posited that meanings are in binary oppositions of plus or minus. He added that when words are spoken, they carry meanings that are not of surface values, called ‘Deep Structure’ in that branch of Linguistics. ‘Deep Structure’ meaning states that one must consider all the variables to be able to arrive at the intended meaning of any spoken word.

When the Omo N’Oba looked at the president’s daughter last Thursday, and said: “You are in Benin, the home of culture. We have our culture here”, my mind raced to Oyeleye’s ‘Deep Structure’ and the binary opposition of meaning. I asked: what was the deep structure implicature of the statement?

If, without being speculative, one applies Oyeleye’s Truth Condition, can one successfully submit that what the Benin monarch told the president’s daughter is: in case you have no culture where you come from, here in Benin, we have our culture? This semantic implicature is further amplified by the next question Oba Ewuare II asked Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu thus: “Do you know the role of Iyeki in Benin culture?”

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MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Befriending Bandits

But more importantly, and still in the realms of Pragmatics, when the oba considered the response from the self-styled Iyaloja General of Nigeria, the next step the Benin monarch took, indicated clearly that the issue in discourse is of no importance – indeed an aberration in Benin Kingdom. He simply directed a chief to educate the woman on how Benin runs its market system. “Iyaloja is a bit alien to us here in Benin. I have discussed this matter with my chiefs and those who are knowledgeable”, the Omo N’Oba said, and directed Chief Osaro Idah, the Obazelu of Benin, to educate Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu.

Those who were physically present during the encounter recalled that the Benin monarch was visibly angry – justifiably so. Ever since the encounter, there have been series of activities in Benin City surrounding the issue of Iyaloja of all Edo Markets. The debate in town centres on the misadventure of Mrs. Folasade Ojo-Tinubu to impose on the ancient kingdom of Benin, a strange market structure that makes an individual the head of all markets in Edo State.

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In a daring move, Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu had, earlier, before coming to the palace, inaugurated one Pastor Josephine Ibhaguezejele. as the Iyaloja of all markets in Edo State. She did that at the Festival Hall of the Edo State Government House. The Benin Palace had the information in disbelief. It was after the ‘installation’, that the president’s daughter ventured into the sacred palace ground to ask the Omo N’Oba to rally support for Josephine Ibhaguezejele. Sacrilege!

Naturally, such a stranger-than-fiction position would infuriate the palace which had in 2024, kicked against such an anomaly. What gave the Iyaloja General of Nigeria the boldness to go ahead and do what she did? What height of bravado propelled her to visit the palace to ask the Omo N’Oba to rally support for the new Iyaloja of all Edo Markets?

When the Omo N’Oba asked if Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu understood the concept of Iyeki, what the oba was saying was that Edo markets are not without leaders. The only difference is that while, for instance, Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu, could transmute from being an Iyaloja of Lagos to Iyaloja General of Nigeria, no such position exists in Benin, nay the entire Edo State.

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According to Benin culture which Oba Ewuare II lectured the president’s daughter on, no single market leader can control another market in Benin. The oba was emphatic when he told Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu that “Iyaloja is a bit alien to us here in Benin. I have discussed this matter with my chiefs and those who are knowledgeable.”

The concept of Iyeki, a pure traditional position, according to Chief Idah who spoke on behalf of the oba, is different from the social and cosmetic Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu parades. What the Benin palace told the president’s daughter could pass for an inaugural lecture on cultural diversity.

While anyone without a single store in any market can become Iyaloja General in the culture that produces the like of Ojo-Tinubu, in Benin, and the entire Edo State, no single individual can lord it over other market women in different markets in the state.

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More importantly, too, while it is possible for President Tinubu’s daughter to turn the Iyaloja chieftaincy title to a family affair and transmute from being Iyaloja of Lagos, the position formerly held by the late Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, to becoming Iyaloja General of Nigeria, in Benin, an Iyeki (market leader) is the representative of the Oba of Benin in any Benin market. The occupier of that position also carries out some assigned duty for the oba in the market.

This is why Chief Idah, speaking for the oba, tutored Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu: “Iyaloja is alien to us here in Benin. Every Iyeki has a special relationship with the palace. Are you aware of that? Do you know that every Iyeki has a cultural role to perform inside every market?

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: The Clappers They Want In Us

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“The Oba does not interfere so long as the Iyeki does what is expected of her in the shrine of a particular market on behalf of the Oba. We are not going to say much, except to explain to you the concept of Iyeki in Benin. Iyeki is independent in every market, like the Oba Market, Ogiso Market, and others. The traders select their leaders from within the market. The Iyekis do more than the role of coordinating traders. There are certain shrines in all the markets. They play certain roles on behalf of the palace. After their selection, they bring the person to the palace for confirmation.

“The novelty of a general Iyeki is alien to Benin custom and tradition. We just believe the Iyaloja is your socio-cultural thing, like you have other clubs. It is not in our culture to have a general Iyeki. Iyeki is particular to each market. No one has the right to control another in a different market. The Iyeki in Oba Market has no role to play in Ogiso Market. The Oba established the market for all in the society.”

Let us go back to Alice Roosevelt. Why would President Tinubu’s daughter flout Benin culture? I ask this question because on April 30, 2024, she had written a letter to Oba Ewuare II, asking him to provide all necessary support for Pastor Isi Ibhaguezejele, as her appointed Iyaloja of all Edo markets.

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In the letter, Mrs. Ojo-Tinubu did not just introduce herself as the Iyaloja General of Nigeria but also as: “…the First Daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR).” You may wish to ask as I did; what is the import of that family background in a letter seeking support for a venture? What was she trying to tell the oba? Then she went ahead to say:

“With greatest sense of responsibility and utmost regards to our Royal Father, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, The Oba of Benin, I humbly write to introduce PASTOR MRS JOSEPHINE ISI IBHAGUEZEJELE as the Edo State lyeki-Elect.

“With the development, it is her responsibility to see to the day-to-day affairs of the traders in the state (Edo State).Your Majesty, I humbly request that you give your daughter every necessary backing to succeed in this great and noble assignment as I look forward to your fatherly blessing for her to be fruitful in her newly assigned responsibilities.”

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Expectedly, the letter, when it became a public document, generated a lot of heat in Benin. All daughters and sons of the Benin Kingdom, at home and in the Diaspora, rose in its condemnation. The agitation was heavy such that the president’s daughter backtracked.

The prevailing situation in Edo State then was not favourable. That was the period Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was holding sway. There was no way the self-imposed Iyaloja General of Nigeria could have appointed a stooge in the state.

But after the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election which produced the current Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mrs. Folasade Ojo-Tinubu got her confidence back. Her father’s political party is the ruling party in the state. The rumours of the installation of Pastor Josephine Isi Ibhaguezejele as Iyaloja of Edo markets gained traction. But many did not believe that the venture would be revisited so much so that the Omo N’Oba had earlier rejected it.

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Now the president’s daughter has installed an Iyaloja for Edo Markets, with the full support of the Coordinator, Office of Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo-Anani and possibly the Edo State Government tacit support as implied in the use of the Government House Festival Hall. In contrast Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, who by tradition and custom, determines what happens in his kingdom, has said that such a position is alien to Benin tradition. The die is cast! Who blinks first? Who shifts ground: the Benin tradition or the position of “the First Daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR)?”

This is where President Tinubu should act. As the father of the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, and as an elder, President Tinubu must tutor his daughter that it is not every cloth that the chameleon imitates. The president must act fast before people begin to ask questions that will interrogate his parenting method for his children.

President Tinubu, this time, cannot speak the way TR spoke when asked to caution his recalcitrant Alice. Tinubu, I submit here without hesitation, must be President of Nigeria and control Folasade at the same time. Unlike TR, our PBAT must “possibly do both.” This is the Toro (half Kobo) I have to loan to the President.

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