#JusticeForSylvester: Lagos exonerates Dowen College students, officials

Five students and five employees of Dowen College linked to the death of a 12-year-old student of the college, Sylvester Oromoni, have been exonerated by the Lagos State Government.

Also, cleared was Kingsley Otuaro, the manager of the school building in Lekki.

The students cleared by the state government are 16-year-old Favour Benjamin, Edward Begue (16), Ansel Temile (14) and Kenneth Inyang (15) and 15-year-old Micheal Kashamu, the son of the late senator, Buruji Kashamu.

Officials cleared by the government through the Director of Public Prosecution are Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun and one Adeyemi.

The state also directed that all the suspects should be released if they are still in custody.

The clearance was contained in a Legal Advice of the Director of Public Prosecution, Ms. Adetutu Oshinusi.

A copy of the legal advice obtained by our correspondent was addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, and the trial magistrate, Magistrate Olatunbosun Adeola.

The advice stated that the interim and final autopsy reports issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and toxicology report of post mortem samples and that of the Central Hospital, Warri were in agreement as to the cause of death namely: Septicaemia, Lobar Pneumonia with Acute Pyelonephritis, Pyomyositis of the right ankle and Acute Bacteria Pneumonia due to severe Sepsis.

“The result of the toxicology is also not indicative of any toxic or poisonous substance in the body of the deceased,” it added.

The DPP’s legal advice, therefore, concluded that based on these findings, there is “no prima facie case of murder, involuntary manslaughter and or malicious administering of poison with intent to harm against the five students”.

It stated that “from available facts in the duplicate case file, the investigation carried out by the Police did not reveal that any secret society name, tattoo or insignia of any unlawful society was found in the possession of any of the suspects during the investigation carried out by the Police.

“To hold otherwise would amount to sniffing for an offence and a speculative act which is not permitted in law. It is trite law that suspicion no matter how grave cannot be a ground for conviction.”