Sylvester Oromoni’s Death: Dowen College Accuses Media Of Sensationalism

Dowen College has accused the media of sensationalizing the news surrounding Sylvester Oromoni’s death.

A member of the Dowen College Advisory Board, Folarin Shobo, made the accusation during a Channels TV interview monitored by THE WHISTLER on Monday.

Shobo claimed that after Sylvester’s cousin posted the news about his brother’s death on social media, newspapers ran the story without verifying the facts.

He also said that Sylvester’s cousin made the posts after the student had died, and not while he was still sick.

“The issue of Sylvester has been sensationalized by the social media (users) because the issue was actually broadcast on the social media by a cousin and that is where everybody picked it up and how we got to where we are.

“The cousin did not post when he was ill, the cousin only posted after he died. Well, ill in quote, because what took place from our own end is a child who went to the sick bay, he was having some pains in his leg as a result of a football injury, the records are there in the sick bay”, he said.

Shobo added that the stance of the school concerning the circumstances surrounding Sylvester Oromoni’s death remains the same irrespective of the position of the family of the deceased.

“We (the advisory board) analysed the whole situation, we asked questions, looked at the records that were presented…. and our position remains the same.

“In Sly’s case, Sly is what Sylvester’s friends used to call him, there has been deep rooted investigation and to the best of our knowledge as an institution, there was no case of bullying,” he said.

He maintained that the only thing that the school found wrong with Sylvester was the football injury which they had previously reported in a press release.

“The clinic found what was reported. That he went playing football and had a collision with another student and that his leg was paining him, and that was what was treated. Then, he went back and the following morning, the pain was still there and then the school put a call through to the mother…” he said.

On Oromoni family’s insistence that Sylvester was bullied, Shobo said that their opinion is based on what was reported to them, adding that none of the videos that surfaced online mentioned that he was bullied.

“Their view (the Oromoni family) is what was reported to them, but if you ask them, they will tell you that the school informed them of when Sylvester went to the clinic to report himself of pains in the leg. So if the father is holding to that view that he was bullied, a lot of videos surfaced on the internet at that time, there was no video telling us that he mentioned that he was bullied.

“The case of football injury is what was reported. As at the time the boy left school, there was no such thing at play, the issue of bullying only came from them at home,” he said.

Speaking further on the autopsy conducted on Oromni’s corpse, Shobo said he did not agree the report that said that the student died of chemical intoxication.

“I do not agree with the autopsy report which read that he died of chemical intoxication. I agree with the second one which was released on the 31st of December”, he said.

He added that anyone who says that the autopsy released on the 31st was just an attempt to absolve the school of blame, are being emotional and sentimental.