The Lagos State Ministry of Education has shut down Dowen College Lekki Phase 1 indefinitely to allow for investigations into how one of its pupils, Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, died under allegedly controversial circumstances on Tuesday.
The closure follows a visit by the Education Commissioner Mrs Folasade Adefisayo and other top officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Education to the school on Friday.
The State Ministry of Education had promised to investigate what led to the death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, a pupil of Dowen College, Lekki who died on Tuesday.
This comes as the school closed today following the family’s claims that the boy died as a result of injuries he got from being beaten by fellow pupils in the school forcing him to join a cult.
The school however claimed he was injured while playing football.
Junior, as he was fondly called, was the last born and would have clocked 13-year-old on December 4.
In the now-viral video, he could be seen writhing in excruciating pains with his teeth stained with blood.
Junior’s nephew, Perry Oromoni @Perrisonoromoni had alleged on social media the deceased was attacked for refusing to join a “cult group” dominated by older boys in the school.
Dowen College however rejected the claims that he was tortured to death for refusing to join a cult group.
It stated that one of the school’s hostel officials had informed the management on November 21 that Junior was injured while playing football with his colleagues.
The Lagos State government, in a statement by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Ganiu Lawal, the Education Commissioner, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo commiserated with his family.
The statement also noted that she visited the school with a team from the ministry on Friday to investigate the incident.
It reads: “The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, notes that this incident is shocking and the State is indeed sad about this great loss.
“A delegation comprising top-level management of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies and the Police, has visited the school on a fact-finding mission.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Sylvester Oromoni Junior was indeed enrolled as a student of Dowen College in its boarding facility and had been treated by the school’s medical personnel before the school requested that the parents take him away for further care.
“The State Government is in touch with the parents in this difficult time
.
“We reassure the family of the late Sylvester Oromoni Junior and Lagosians at large that efforts are being made to unravel the circumstances leading to his demise, even as we reiterate the Government’s commitment to Child Protection.”
